I, my lovely wife Magda and our two oldest boys, Oliver and Fred will all be climbing over the edge of the 164ft tall Mersey Tunnel ventilation shaft to abseil down on 26th September 2010.

We are all trying to raise money for the Bar Pro Bono Unit, a charity that works to facilitate barristers doing free work giving advice and representation to those who cannot afford it, legal aid does not cover but who desperately need it.

As a barrister I have seen countless individuals who, without legal representation, would have not stood a chance of having a fair hearing in court. The legal system can be tricky enough for professionals with years of experience never mind a person with emotional ties to the case in hand.  

The Unit has seen a tremendous rise in applications for help in the past year and yet the Bar seem willing to take on more cases - your donation will help the Unit involve more people and make sure even more families, people from the very young to old, in every difficult legal position you can imagine have the chance of receiving help.

Every little makes a difference (plus I have to beat the rest of my family who each have their own pages!)

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.