What is it about turning 40 and daft ideas? Well, after my 40th, my daft idea was to run the Edinburgh Marathon...

But the arrival of our lovely twin girls in April last year put an end to that.

There was no way to fit in any running around nappies and bottles (x2), so the good folk at the MS Society deferred my entry.

Fast forward 12 months, and life is still mostly about nappies and bottles, as well as sleep schedules, feeding (the babies, not me) and being back at work full-time... so I still have no idea how to fit in any training, but I'll give it a go!

Part of the reason I chose to fundraise for the MS Society is because I'm following in the footsteps, literally, of my cousin, John.

Now in his late 20s, John was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) at the age of 12.

In 2021 he ran the London Marathon to raise awareness of the fact that MS isn't just a disease that affects older generations—and to prove that it's one that can be managed alongside a healthy, normal life. You can read his story, in his words, here.

I'd be so grateful if you could take the time to sponsor me to help the cause and to motivate me in whatever training I manage to fit in between now and 25th May.

Rarely a week goes by without a new breakthrough treatment for MS being announced, and a lot of this is due to the work and funding of the MS Society.

How your donation could help the MS Society:

- £5 could pay for laboratory essentials such as petri dishes, latex gloves and microscope slides.

- £10 could help pay for their MS Helpline team to answer a call from someone who needs their help

- £20 could pay for an hour of research to help understand and manage MS fatigue.

- £30 could process one blood sample which could give researchers crucial information about genes and the immune system as they search for new treatments.

- £50 could pay for an hour on a microscope, so scientists can study cells and tissue in greater detail and improve their understanding of the biology of MS.