This November, I’m going to do something that, if I’m completely truthful, feels slightly mad, more than a little daunting — but incredibly important.

I’ll be leaving behind the comforts of home and getting on a bike to cycle 300 miles across Africa in just five days, alongside 59 other cyclists, to raise money for Child.org.

Sixty miles a day. Five days in a row. On dusty, bumpy roads, through punishing heat and steep hills, with tired legs, a sore backside and — rather alarmingly — the possibility of sharing the road with lions, elephants and rhinos.

There will undoubtedly be moments when my legs are screaming at me to stop, when another hill feels impossible and when I seriously question why I ever thought this was a good idea.

But then I’ll remind myself why I’m doing it.

Because while five difficult days on a bicycle will eventually end for me, for too many mothers and babies in Africa, the challenges they face are far more serious — and the consequences can last a lifetime.

Imagine the excitement of discovering you are going to have a baby, but knowing that pregnancy and childbirth could put both your life and your baby’s life at risk.

Imagine giving birth without access to the healthcare, information or support that we so easily take for granted.

And imagine knowing that something entirely preventable could mean your baby never gets the chance to grow up.

That is the reality Child.org is working to change.

Their ambition is beautifully simple and incredibly powerful:

A world where no mother or baby dies from preventable causes.

That sentence is the reason I’m getting on the bike.

Every morning when I climb back onto that bike — however much my body tells me otherwise — I’ll remember that five days of discomfort is a very small price to pay if it can help change someone else’s lifetime.

The money we raise will help Child.org work with pregnant women and new mothers, train Community Health Promoters, provide vital antenatal and postnatal information and connect families with the healthcare and support they need.

Please support me if you can, I’ll do the pedalling.

Together, we can help give mothers and babies something infinitely more precious — the chance of a healthy life and a brighter future.

Thank you. It really does mean the world.

Nigel x