For the past five years in November I've taken part in National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short. The aim is to write a novel of at least 50,000 words in one month, November. For the third year running I've decided to get sponsored to do so and raise some money for charity. The specific charity that I'll be raising money for is St Luke's Hospice who provide care and support to terminally ill people in Harrow and Brent and their families. I was very grateful when they looked after my father during his final days in 2009, and so this is my way of repaying them.

This year's novel will be called "Tiaxent" (don't ask me what it means - I haven't quite decided yet!), and my personal word target for this year is 200,000 words...

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.