In December of 2023, my wife Flo suffered subdural hematoma. It was a life-threatening bleed on her brain that left her unable to speak or use her hands, bringing huge amounts of worry and concern to everyone who knows her, especially our wonderful sons, Ignatius and Cosmo.

During a three-month period, Flo overcame meningitis, five lumbar puncture procedures and brain surgery – and she received world-leading medical care from Liverpool University Hospital and the Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery.

Now, it's payback time.

On 27 April 2025, I will be running the London Marathon especially for Flo and raising money for Brainkind, a charity that provides rehabilitation and ongoing support for anyone who has suffered a brain injury or suffers from any kind of neurological condition.

Flo is still experiencing hangover effects from her brain injury and she is doing everything she can to make a full recovery. With your support, we can help people like her who are living with acquired brain injuries and other neurological conditions to access the best specialist rehabilitation available. Whether it be specialist hospitals, neurological centres or rehabilitation services, every penny of your donations will be going to a great cause that helps people regain lost skills or to find new ways of compensating for lost abilities.

Flo grew up in south-east London, which is the best part of the city and where the London Marathon begins each year. We lived close to the London Marathon route for many years, and she completed the event herself 14 years ago.

Suffice it to say that the London Marathon means a lot to Flo, which is why I have chosen to take part in this event and raise money for Brainkind – it's all about celebrating her strength, resilience, determination and the old-school badassery that makes her the wonderful woman she is.

As for me, I just hope I can keep Flo in the standards to which she has become accustomed and dig deep enough while running this year's London Marathon to once again surpass her expectations of me as a husband, father and human being.

Flo will be there in London with Ignatius and Cosmo to support me as I drag my tired old legs around those 26 point something miles, so please sponsor us as we raise money for Brainkind.