My Dad was an amazing man. He was a loving, motivating and inspirational father to me and my two sisters. He was a devoted husband to my Mum and they barely left each others side in nearly 42 years of marriage. He was a doting grandfather to my sisters two sons and relished every moment of his involvement in their upbringing. In his professional life he was a trusted and respected teacher, an inspiration to pupils and colleagues alike. He was a terrific bon-viveur, with a great passion for good food and fine wine, and when he threw a party his chief priority was ensuring that everybody present was having a good time. He was amazingly creative, particularly in the area of amateur theatre; as an actor he was creative and considerate, as a director he had an incredible ability to inspire confidence in every single cast member, as a set designer he was both imaginitve and practical and as a member of a theatre group he was never less than 100% committed to the greater good of the whole company.

These are just a few of the things that I will always remember about my Dad, just a handful of the reasons why he is the greatest man that I have ever known.

The one thing that I would like to be able to forget is the disease that cut his life short at the age of 64. Motor Neurone Disease is a progressive degenerative neurological condition that attacks the Motor Neurones in the brain stem that control muscle movement. Bit by bit, the muscles stop receiving signals from the brain and begin to wither. The most common form, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease) usually takes the arms and legs first, then the back, neck and jaw - leaving the sufferer unable to walk, stand, speak or swallow. Finally the respiratory muscles stop working and the patient dies as the body literally becomes too weak to draw breath. The causes of MND are not yet understood, so there is no treatment and no cure. It is fatal in nearly 100% cases and strikes at random. In order to be able to forget this disease forever, we need to keep raising awareness and money in order to identify a cause, treatments and, eventually, a cure.

So, in my latest effort to support the Motor Neurone Disease Association I will be taking on the Royal Parks Half Marathon and raising funds for a vital cause. Thank you in advance for supporting my huge challenge and donating whatever you can, it will make a massive difference.