Soooo for those of you who don't know me, I'm Basil :)

I've never run a marathon, half marathon, or even a 10km race. But I love a challenge, and am absolutely delighted to say that in 2026, I'll be running the London Marathon in support of a fantastic charity - We Are All Making a Difference. WAAMAD distributes funds on a needs basis to individuals and organisations that often struggle to raise funds for themselves.

Over the years, they've supported a huge range of initiatives; from children's hospices and community projects for the disabled, to providing Christmas for the elderly and granting wishes to children with terminal illnesses. It's a wonderful charity with no overheads, and I feel very lucky to be able to play a small part in their story.

If you DO know a bit about me, feel free to stop reading here. But, for those that don't, I have a bit of personal stuff to add...

In 2020, I had a bit of an accident while on the slopes. I can remember being upside down, looking at the mountains and thinking 'this probably isn't going to end well'. A Frenchman called in the choppa and, despite some close shaves on my various travels across Asia and South America, this remains the only time where I thought I probably wasn’t going to make it.

I ended up breaking quite a few bones including 6 ribs, a punctured lung, both legs and most of the ligaments in my knees. It's fair to say that this set my dreams of being a freestyle skier or UFC fighter back quite a few years. However, five operations and a lot of physio later, I reckon I've got 1 marathon in me before my knees give up on me completely. So, here we go...

Hopefully my physio doesn't see this.

But enough about me - the real reason you should donate is because this is a wonderful cause with tireless volunteers working day and night behind the scenes to try and make the world a better place. It's a small organisation, so every donation makes a world of difference.

See you on the other side!!