Each year, at Word On The Street, we commit to raising funds for Empower Youth Zones - an organisation doing life-changing work for young people in our communities.

This year, that commitment remains the same.

The challenge, however, has gone to an entirely different level.

I am taking on the 3in3 Charity Challenge: three full-distance Ironman triathlons in three consecutive days.

That means completing a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a full 26.2-mile marathon. Not once, but three days in a row.

By the end, I will have covered over 420 miles under my own power.

It is difficult to fully explain what that will demand. One Ironman is enough to push most people to their limit. Three in three days will test far more than fitness. It will test discipline, pain tolerance, mental strength and the ability to keep moving when every part of my body is telling me to stop.

There will be moments where I am exhausted, hurting and questioning whether I can carry on.

But that is exactly the point.

This challenge has to be hard. It has to be uncomfortable. It has to demand something real — because the cause deserves more than an easy gesture.

I am doing this for Empower, and for the young people who rely on the opportunities, support and safe spaces they provide.

For many children and teenagers, a Youth Zone is far more than somewhere to go after school. It is a place where they are welcomed without judgement. A place where they can feel safe. A place where trusted adults listen, encourage and believe in them. A place where confidence is built, talents are discovered and futures start to look different.

That matters deeply to me.

I am local. I come from the same kind of background as many of the young people who benefit from this work. I know that in communities like ours, there is no shortage of talent, character, ambition or potential. But I also know that opportunity is not always easy to access.

The right environment can change everything.

One positive influence can change everything.

Being believed in at the right moment can change everything.

That is why this cause means so much to me. Because where a young person starts in life should never define where they are able to go. Background should not be a barrier to ambition. Circumstance should not decide potential.

Empower Youth Zones helps young people see that there is more available to them. More possibility. More support. More belief. More future.

When this challenge gets difficult (and it will) that is what I will be thinking about.

When I am tired, sore and running on empty, I will remind myself that the discomfort I am experiencing is temporary. For many young people, the challenges they face are not confined to three days. They face pressure, uncertainty and limitation every day, often without the support network many of us take for granted.

This is my opportunity to use what I have, and push myself as far as I can, to help raise vital funding for a cause that genuinely changes lives.

Every donation will help Empower Youth Zones continue providing safe spaces, positive role models, activities, mentoring and opportunities for young people who need them most.

Please support the challenge in whatever way you can.

Every pound matters. Every donation makes a difference. And every bit of support will give me another reason to keep going when the challenge becomes hardest.