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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.

Now here's the story that will make your heart hurt so much that you will want to dig deep and donate just about everything you own to this temendous cause and to support what will be a superhuman effort by Christine and I (especially Christine 'cos she's not that fit to be honest!)...............

I hate running, just hate it! Christine hates running too, in fact until recently she hated anything that raised her heart rate above 25 beats per minute. Despite my views on running, a couple of years ago I was bullied by the manager of Dinnington Resource Centre, Darron Crookes (yes, I have spelt Darron correctly), into running the Sheffield Half Marathon to raise money for a local charity.  So reluctant was I to take part that Darron had to handcuff me to himself and drag me the 13 miles around the streets of Sheffield. To disguise the fact that I needed this much assistance from Darron we dressed as cop and robber to make it look like the cuffs were just part of the costume, when the truth is that without the tow I would still be lying on Attercliffe Road, gasping like a goldfish that had made a suicidal leap from its bowl! On this occasion Christine made it from the armchair to the car and then from the car to Don Valley Arena to act as photographer. She complained that she wasn't able to park the car on the running track and had to walk the extra 50 metres from the car park.

Despite my loathing of running, or maybe because of it, I finished that run with a very warm glow. Raising money for charity, no matter how little or how much is a good thing! Consequently, when Darron suggested to me last year that I join a group who were walking the Yorkshire Three Peaks to raise money for Dinnington Resource Centre I immediately (2 weeks thinking about it can be described as immediately can't it?) said yes. At least running wasn't involved! The climb up and descent down Yorkshire's three highest peaks left me with blisters the size of saucers and almost without eyebrows when I fell asleep in the pub surrounded by my fellow walkers afterwards. But along with the aches the following day, there was that warm glow of having undertaken and succeeded in a challenge and of having again done something good in the process. I should say that Christine didn't come along on this one, even as photographer, but she did cross our lounge when I got back to look at the pictures I'd taken along the way.

So here we are in 2010 and here is this year's challenge - To walk the National Three Peaks in 24 hours. Darron (and Jane Havenhand) haven't had to work so hard at pursuading me to get involved this year and what's more, Christine has accepted the challenge too. For someone whose longest walk to date was from the lounge to the kitchen to refill her wine glass, this is quite a challenge. Add to this the fact that she had her cruciate ligament rebuilt, a-la Beckham, in October last year following a skiing accident (she was knocked down when a mother pushing a pram down the piste to the local boulangerie tried to make an impossible overtake) and you will understand that this is a huge undertaking. What's more, 7th July will be our 17th Wedding anniversary, so there is a truly romantic element to our effort as we intend to pop a Champagne cork at the top of Ben Nevis, should we both make it.

"So what's it all in aid of", I hear you ask? Well, we intend to split any money we raise between two very deserving charities:

Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice offers care and support to children with life limiting conditions who are not expected to reach adulthood, both in their own homes and at our hospice in Sheffield.

Bluebell Wood is a place filled with laughter and love. It gives families the chance to relax, take a break and have fun, and helps support the whole family.

Dinnington Resource Centre which is an incredibly important hub of community life in Dinnington. The centre is non-profit making and provides a location for so many crucial groups and activities for both young and old alike. Dinnington and the people who live in and around the town would be so much poorer for the loss of the centre.

I know that we are all approached on an almost daily basis to give money for good causes, but I hope you can find a little something extra, no matter how small, to support the efforts that Christine and I will be making on behalf of these two superb charities this summer. Come on, you know you want to!

Thanks for reading

Richard and Christine