On Sunday 5 March I'll be running the Cambridge Half Marathon in aid of both Maggie's Cambridge and the Cambridge Cancer Help Centre. Any funds raised on this page will be split the two groups evenly.

These two groups have provided invaluable help over the past 8 months as my wife Ruth has been undergoing treatment for breast cancer at Addebrookes hospital. This help has mainly been through emotional support and talking therapy - offered to both her and myself. In its simplest form it has been merely the provision of a calm, quiet space in which to sit or work; to be offered a cup of tea; or simply to be asked "how are you?" by a sincerely interested and friendly stranger during a period of sustained psychological stress.

It's not possible to overstate the importance of the exceptional NHS teams at Addenbrookes and research-based charities such as CRUK, but these two small charities have also made a great difference to our lives. They've offered consistency and understanding in a period otherwise defined by anxiousness and profound uncertainty. I would like to take this opportunity to give something back to them.

On a lighter-hearted note, the pressures put on our family life have left very little time for training. So, whilst I have no doubt that I will finish the 21km course, you can rest assured that I will earn every penny of your donations in the process.