Nearly four years ago I was laid low by a nasty tumour that damaged my spine and left me paralysed from the waist down. In less than two years the NHS had sorted the cause of the injury and got me out of bed, out of a wheelchair and back on my feet, walking, driving and dad dancing all over again. I am a very big supporter of the NHS, as anyone who hs heard me on that theme will know.

While being rehabilitated at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital at Stanmore I was introduced to the wonderful spinal injury charity, Aspire, which runs the swimming pool, sports hall, training gym, dance studio and café at Stanmore. I used their facilities a great deal to help my recovery and appreciated their work so much I am now a trustee of the charity.

Bridget and I have always been keen walkers and thankfully, that is a pastime still available to me. So we are going on a walk of Peddars Way and the Norfolk Coast Path to raise some money for the valuable work Aspire does. It is a 92-mile journey but has the great attraction to me of being flat. We will do it in three or four visits and the first one will be in the first week of July. We don’t know when we will complete it, but we do so as soon as we can.

I know the credit crunch has hit everyone hard but if you can spare a few quid for this deserving cause, I and Aspire would be truly grateful for your support. The crunch has of course also hit charities very hard and all of them are feeling the pinch.