On June 19th, in the blistering heat of the English summer, I will be destroying my stabilisers, getting on an adult bike and trying to ride 100 miles.

The reason behind this insanity is a beautiful young girl called Poppy Guilder (left) who should be an inspiration to us all.

At just 14 months-old she was diagnosed with a large brain tumor and, whilst the prognosis wasn't good, she managed to defy the experts to grow into an energetic, mischievous (her mom's words) and loveable young girl.

It has not been easy and Poppy has endured three operations and nearly 20 months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy - all completed with a smile on her face.

To say thank you to the excellent team of experts, doctors and nurses at Birmingham Children's Hospital, the Poppy Fields Appeal was born and to date has raised over £90,000.

The money has gone towards a high dependency unit, a special ultrasound scanner and, more recently, to research into childhood brain tumours by Poppy's Consultant Oncologist Dr Andrew Peet.

So not only are we improving the level of care to young kids who are suffering, but we may just be contributing to saving children's lives in the future.

With that in mind, forget that extra pint, cinema ticket or designer handbag and donate what you can to a great cause and in return I'll pedal my little legs off and, if you're lucky, I will post pictures on the website of Fordy and myself in lycra.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Birmingham Children's Hospital Charities gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

Thanks again for your support

Russ

NB: If any companies who know me want to donate over £100, I'll do them a press release for free!