In May I will be taking on two endurance challenges - a 50k ultra marathon over the North Downs and a 160k cycle ride through London and Essex. Not to be left out, my children will also be clocking up the kilometres throughout the month and setting some impressive challenges of their own!

We will be doing these events in support of the Captain David Seath Memorial Fund. Dave and I met in halls on Day 1 at Aberdeen University; we went on to work together, live together and have a whole lot of fun together! A guy so full of verve, humour, energy and cheekiness, he was simply a joy to be around. He chose the military as his career, and his grit and determination saw him become an officer in 29 Commando Regiment. Tragically, while running the 2016 London marathon to raise money for Help for Heroes, Dave collapsed at the 23 mile mark and died. The gaping hole that he left in so many people’s lives has been impossible to fill, and six years on the loss is still as raw as ever. 

Dave’s passion for helping veterans was evident in his life and his legacy lives on through the Memorial Fund that his family set up in his name. The Fund provides financial grants to service personnel through Help for Heroes and has so far raised a phenomenal £330,000 and counting. 

I would like to do my bit to help veterans and their families, which is why I have chosen to raise funds in Dave’s memory. I know that his cheeky smile and glinting eye will spur me on when I’m needing it most. 

A message from Help for Heroes:

Every day, men and women have to leave their career in the Armed Forces as a result of physical or psychological wounds. Your fundraising helps them recover and get on with their lives. So far we've supported more than 25,000 people and won’t stop until every veteran gets the support they deserve.