In April I will be running the Manchester Marathon for the Brain Tumour Charity. It is in honour of my great friend and colleague Freddy Carboni.

A man who could, at times, quite deliberately annoy and frustrate me; he was also one of life's great characters. From pretending to be my future son-in-law to also being an integral part of my working life and achieving success in whatever he put his heart into. His mischievous streak was always on show in everything he did.

Diagnosed with a brain tumour in late 2019 he continued to live a life on his own terms, with bravery and love. Always backed by fantastic charities, hospitals and care as well as his family and friends.

Although he never complained to me about his lot in life, his pain, or the cards he had been dealt he continued to complain about me being late, not answering his messages in a timely fashion or spending too much time talking to his parents and not him.

Having far outlived his original diagnosis he often told me "I'm not even meant to be here". Such was the matter-of-fact way in which he went about his life.

He became, and still is, a truly inspirational person, and it is in his honour I run this. Please do donate to this cause so that many others can receive the support they need and to ensure that vital research into treatments can continue.

The Brain Tumour Charity is the world's leading brain tumour charity and the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours globally. Committed to saving and improving lives, we're moving further, faster to help every single person affected by a brain tumour.

We're set on finding new treatments, offering the highest level of support and driving urgent change. And we're doing it right now. Because we understand that when you, or someone you love, is diagnosed with a brain tumour a cure really can't wait.