STV Appeal is now into it's 3rd year and I will be off cycling again to raise more money for the charity which against aim be helping children living in poverty.

In 2011 I cycled 130 miles from Lewis down to South Uist over two days. Last year I tried something a bit different by introducing you to Jock the dog! I cycled with him in a trailer from Glasgow to Edinburgh, where he then took on an agility challenge at Ingliston with the Scottish Kennel Club. I was amazed at how well he had done considering he had only had several agility classes beforehand. 

Jock now has nearly 2,000 followers on Twitter and he has found his own fame and this year will be going his own way with his own challenge of crossing all of Scotland's main bridges (Skye, Forth, Tay, Kessock and Erskine) in just a few days.

My challenge this year will take me to Shetland and Orkney at the end of July, where I will take on my Northern Isles Challenge. This journey will see me cycle 150 miles from Saxa Vord on Unst all the way down to Burwick on the south of Orkney. Along the way I'll meet lots of people and hopefully raise lots of money through various events which have been kindly organised by many of the residents on the islands. I am also very much looking forward to meeting the Viking Jarl Squad at various locations across Shetland.

I will admit that I am a more than a little nervous about this trip, although I have been training for it this time, but I know it will still be very hard for me. What does help me achieve these goals that I set myself is the kind donations that come flooding in from people all over the country. After the Northern Isles cycle I will be taking part in the Pedal for Scotland from Glasgow to Edinburgh at the start of September. This will take my total STV Appeal mileage for 2013 up to around 200 miles.

Last year the support that Jock and I got from people all over really touched me, and I'm sure Jock too, with our total almost touching the £10,000 mark.

I would love it if you could show your support for me this year by donating a little something. What I love about the STV Appeal is that the money stays with us here in Scotland to help children in our own communities. I've been lucky enough to become an ambassador for the charity and have given some of the money out to projects and groups which has made me appreciate more how much of a difference this money is making.

I would like to thank Tunnock's for getting behind me as my sponsor for this event and I'm looking forward to a few caramel wafers to help me along on my trip!

Thanks for all your support and remember you can follow my journey around Shetland & Orkney through Twitter and also on our STV Appeal website.