On 19th November I leave the wintery UK to enter a 250km six day footrace in the summery Antarctic with 57 other competitors. The race is called the Last Desert and is part of the 4 Deserts, which was named by TIME magazine as one of the Top 10 Endurance Competitions in the world and is the only multi-day stage race on the Antarctic continent. Although it is summer I will be “running” mainly through snow which I have been advised can be a metre deep in places and temperatures could reach as low as -20c. I also have to carry a lot of kit on each stage and this will weigh in at about 12kg. If you have seen me recently you will know that despite my rigorous training regime I am still carrying some excess pounds so the whole thing should be pretty unpleasant as well as cold.

Obviously I have not learnt from my previous experiences in the other deserts of the world and am still struggling with turning 40. However as well as trying to quell some midlife angst I am participating on behalf of a fantastic charity called Education for the Children www.eftc.org.uk . ETFC aims “to advance the education of children in Central America by the provision of schools, school equipment and teaching personnel and to relieve the poverty and sickness of children who are educated by the foundation, together with their families, by the provision of shelter, amenities, facilities and equipment.” They do a great job and would really appreciate some donations so that they can do an even better one.

The race has been expensive to enter, some of the mandatory kit is very niche, but all donations will go directly to the charity with no deductions!

I know we all get a lot of requests to donate money to great charities and business has been tough over the last few years but hope I am doing something which is deserving of your generosity. I am not sure I can make it any tougher but am open to suggestions for a suitable sum.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.