On Sunday 19th March I will be running the Barcelona marathon, giving me a great opportunity to raise money for a charity very close to my heart.

Harry's Hydrocephalus Awareness Trust (Harry's HAT) are a small charity, set up by the parents of a young boy Harry, who are working hard to support children with hydrocephalus, a condition that is still little understood despite impacting 1 in 700 babies born in the UK.

My fantastic 12 year old nephew Lucas was diagnosed with hydrocephalus when he was just three months old and as a consequence has been through 24 separate neurosurgical operations since then. 

Despite this Lucas and his family count themselves lucky in having had wonderful support from the outstanding neurosurgery team at St George's Hospital in Tooting but this is far from the case for everyone, something that Harry's HAT are working hard to address. 

Hydrocephalus is a build-up of fluid in the brain which can lead to serious damage if not immediately treated. What better way to understand more about the condition than watching Lucas and Harry appear on Heart FM's breakfast show, explaining first hand what it is like to live with hydrocephalus: 

Heart Breakfast's Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden surprise Harry's Hat charity with... - Heart

All donations no matter how small will be very gratefully received and put to amazing use by the team at Harry's HAT. 

My generous employer QBE have offered to match all donations (up to a maximum of £4,000), so your money will go even further.

Thanks in advance for your generosity.

Neil