Those of you who know me will know that – physically, at least – I’m an incredibly lazy person. Very rarely do I exercise, which has left me so unfit that a jog upstairs will render me breathless for around ten minutes. On the odd occasion I play football you’ll find me nestled behind the post, hiding until such a moment as I can leap out, tap someone else’s shot into the net and snootily claim that my lack of running is down to a wealth of experience – it’s all about positioning.

Which is why it came as such a surprise to many of my friends and family when, in a rush of blood to the head, I signed up to do the Big Fun Run in Coventry on 18th August.

OK, so it’s 5k – which, in my language, is a tad over 3 miles. It’s certainly no marathon, and many people can jog that in their sleep, but it’s a fairly big deal to someone as unfit and lazy as I am. I’m running it for Sands, a charity close to my heart, as those who have been following my blog for a while will know. If you’ve not heard of them, please click on that link just there or this one to find out more about the amazing work they do. (Just as an aside, the book I have written for them is making its way through the publication process, and is worthy of a blog post in itself.)

‘So, what’s the point of you telling me this?’ I hear you cry. ‘I suppose you want my money.’

Yes please. My aim is to raise £200, which isn’t a lot, but is – I think – achievable with your help. So please, if you have a spare couple of minutes and a bit of loose change, head to my JustGiving page and donate a pound or two. And, to keep my end of the bargain, I promise to break into a sweat. My personal best for three miles is, I assume, around four hours. I reckon I can beat it. Just.

If you fancy donating quickly and easily, simply text MVWT48 and the amount you’d like to donate to 70070, eg. MVWT48 £1