The Covid-19 pandemic has had a catastrophic effect on charities, with the cancellation of thousands of events and the loss of billions in income. At a time when vulnerable members of society need them most, charities have had to cut services, furlough staff and some have even shut down. Captain Tom stepped up to help, taking on his famous walk to support the NHS Covid-19 appeal and inspiring millions to donate to the cause. I will be celebrating the extraordinary spirit of Captain Tom my way and help my chosen charity.

My name is Michael Charles and I am the Chairperson for Side By Side.  I joined at their initial launch and have been an active member of the Side By Side ever since.  I joined Side By Side as a parent of a young autistic adult in order to get some time that was just for me.  I've always loved singing and this gave me an opportunity to sing without any fear of judgement.  Since then it has become more of a family affair as 2 of my children have joined me giving us some quality time together.  

I decided to take on this challenge, firstly as a benefit to myself.  I have put on a lot of weight over the last few years and have struggled to find the motivation to make life changes.  But over the last month I have been working on this.  I chose to take part in the Newport Virtual Marathon as a way of keeping me motivated.  However, when I saw that we were going to be part of the Sir Tom 100 weekend, I decided to up this from just over 42km to 100km to be completed over the month of May and to turn this into a fundraising activity to try and raise some much needed funds for Side By Side.  

Side by Side has been a huge support ever since I joined but has kept me going throughout the Covid pandemic with it, at times, being the only positive thing happening in my week.  And this is my attempt to give a little back to say thank you.

Over the month, Seren will also be attempting to make 100 friendship bracelets and William will be engaging in a Minecraft Challenge which is to complete 100 days in Hardcore Mode.  Whilst we cannot share videos of this last attempt we will keep you updated here and on social media.