On 13th September I'm cycling 55 miles from London to Brighton to raise money for Small Steps.

Small Steps helps children with physical disabilities, from birth to age 5, work on every area of their development using the principles of conductive education. These children have various forms of motor impairment, syndromes or sensory impairment, and they need a great deal of extra stimulation and assistance to reach even the most basic milestones like crawling, standing and walking. Teachers, conductors and physiotherapists lead parent and child through a structured programme designed around individual developmental steps. The focus is very much on the positive: what children can and will achieve. Parents get the support of other parents on the same journey.

We have first hand experience of what Small Steps does for a family, and it is the reason I'm riding for them rather than anyone else. Families travel from all over the country to attend due to so few public/private alternatives and the incredible quality of the staff and volunteers.

Sessions are 100% free. Small Steps never charges families, so that it stays open to anyone who needs it. It receives no statutory funding, which means it depends entirely on charitable grants, fundraising and donations, and raising enough is getting harder in the current climate.

I've done the ride before - well over a decade ago! - and am still haunted by Ditchling Beacon which is almost a mile of steep, relentless climbing after you've already cycled 90% of the distance. I've always ended up walking it in the past but determined to cycle as much of it as I can. I'm donating an additional £10 for every 100m of it I end up walking, so might end up on the hook for an additional £140.

No matter the amount, every bit of it makes a difference to these families. There isn't a more deserving charity out there.