On 26 April I will be running the London Marathon to raise money for the MS Society's valuable research into preventing Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This will be my fifth official marathon race but my first attempt at the London event (I have completed the Kielder and Singapore marathons twice each: both unpleasant for different reasons). It’s never a totally joyous experience and though the London course is flat and the climate (I hope!) temperate, I feel I should for those reasons go for a personal best time, which is likely to be uncomfortable.

MS is a condition that affects the nerves in your brain and spinal cord which make up your central nervous system. MS damages the coating (myelin) that protects your nerves. This causes a range of symptoms like blurred vision and problems with how we move, think and feel.

More than 150,000 people in the UK have MS, which means that many people will have relatives or friends who are affected by it. I have one friend living with MS currently and one now deceased relative who dealt stoically with this difficult condition for over 30 years.

In the UK people are most likely to find out they have MS in their thirties and forties. But the first signs of MS often start years earlier. Many people notice their first symptoms years before they get their diagnosis. MS affects about two and half times as many women as men.

I am very grateful for any sponsorship. It will go towards the MS Society's research priorities, which include answering these questions:

1. Which treatments are effective to slow, stop or reverse the accumulation of disability associated with MS?

2. How can MS be prevented?

3. Which treatments are effective for fatigue in people with MS?

Thank you very much in advance for your donation: it is much appreciated, both by me and the MS Society: we believe that together we can stop MS for everyone.