Hi all, thanks for visiting my fundraising page!

This year I'll be tackling the Manchester Marathon. That's 26.2 miles of running, which to be honest, is shit scary to type! This is no mean feat, which will require a hell of a lot of training. But on top of that, I think pretty much anyone will tell you that I'm rather partial to a good party and the excesses that come with it. So it's time to swap the cider for soda, break out the nicotine patch, and pack in the late nights for 5am alarms instead. This'll be the real test!

I'm running this marathon not only for the sheer hell of it. I'm running to remember my best mate Torin Lakeman. Torin was my partner in crime from the day I met him. Be it hiking up the roughest peaks of Wales, taking an impromptu dip in the sea, heading out for a big one, hopping on to the train somewhere or just staying in with the Playstation or shooting some pool, we were always sure to cover each others back. The time I knew Torin was some of the best time of my life.

In 2014, Torin and his brother Jacques were taken too soon from us. Traveling to Manchester, they bought several grams of MDMA from the dark web. They did not know the extremely high strength of the powder they had on them. After seeing United play that day, both were looking to have a good time that night. Unfortunately, it ended in the worst way possible.

When drugs are not regulated, they are left in the hands of the black market. When buying drugs, we do not know the contents, nor the purity. With the drugs trade ever growing, the rise in hidden untraceable online marketplaces, and the parallel rise of even more dangerous legal highs (another result of prohibition), it is easy to see why we should be afraid for our friends and loved ones. Since the beginning of time, humans have wanted to get high. Attempting to ban drugs will not change this. We need a new approach.

Transform is a campaign group and charitable think tank that seeks legal regulation of drugs in the UK and internationally. Prohibition has failed on every possible front, and only careful legal regulation of the trade will end the disastrous "war on drugs", allow for humane treatment of people who choose to use drugs, and save the lives of people who know exactly what they're buying.

On April 10th, myself and Torin's dad Ray will be running in Manchester. For all victims of the war on drugs. For Jacques. For Torin. For real change, now.