Over a glass of wine to celebrate my 60th birthday I casually mentioned  to Mark Wood that I'd like to walk the South Down's Way  and  thanks to Mark's tenacious approach  5 months later we are going to walk from Winchester to Eastbourne  . 

We start this Friday and aim to complete the 102 miles , probably more with detours for getting lost by Tuesday . A number of people have suggested that we should look to raise donations for charity and I've bowed to popular demand !

The problem has been what to raise money for  especially as there are so many problems the world is facing . However I do feel that poverty drives a number of the social issues that damage our society and I've chosen a children's poverty charity as a worthwhile cause. 

The Childhood Trust is London’s child poverty charity, targeting 800,000 children living in poverty in London. We help vulnerable children to overcome the disadvantages caused by poverty such as hunger, homelessness, stress, loneliness and anxiety. Our work supports children from across London and is aimed at engaging the most disadvantaged children from the poorest communities. The Childhood Trust’s network of over 150 projects provides practical, emotional and inspirational support delivered by trusted, caring adults.