Having recently returned from a short trip to Paris it struck me how many vulnerable people are on the streets sleeping and begging, they are so close to our home in the UK but are overlooked. These unfortunate people have come to Europe to escape war and live a better and more peaceful life but are still forgotten.

The one image that really struck me was a young girl my daughters age sleeping rough on the streets of Paris with both her parents on New Years Eve whilst everyone around are celebrating, it was very cold. This is not normal and should not be acceptable. I cannot begin to imagine how I or my daughter would feel if this was us in this unfortunate situation. Children should be able to live an innocent life, the countries of war are closer to us than you think and these people need help rather than being forgotten, we are all human beings.

In 2017 I had already planned to cover over 500 miles Running, Cycling and Kayaking some beautiful locations in the UK. The aim was for personal achievement and push myself to my maximum. My trip to Paris made me think that I can also try to raise some money along the way to help some of these vulnerable innocent children. If you can spare a few pounds please donate.

The events I am going to take on include:

-Rat Race Dirty Weekend, 20 mile obstacle run. 6th May.

-Rat Race The Crossing, 3 day 200 mile cycle ride that spans the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorkshire Moors. 2nd-4th June.

-Rat Race The Wall, 69 Mile Ultra Marathon from Carlisle to Newcastle along Hadrians Wall. 17th June.

-Rat Race Man vs Lakes, 26.2 mile mountainous marathon in the Lake District. 15th July.

-Rat Race Man vs Mountain, over 20 miles of running up and over Snowdonia. 2nd September. 

-Rat Race Coast to Coast, 105 miles Running, Cycling and Kayaking across Scotland. 9th September. 

-Rat Race Ultra Trail, 50km ultra run through and around Edinburgh. 22nd October. 

Training begins on 3rd January 2017.

Right now, millions of children are in danger. They face violence, disease, hunger and the chaos of war. Unicef ensures more children get life-saving food, vaccinations, education and protection than anyone else. Today, children in places like Syria, South Sudan and Yemen are caught up in violent conflict, with millions forced to flee their homes. In 2015, Unicef responded to 310 emergencies in 102 countries. Please donate what ever you can to my fundraiser for Unicef UK. With your help, we can build a safer world for children.