After completing the Manchester Marathon in April, in hindsight I realised that I really should have raised some cash for a worthy charity whilst I attempted to give myself hypothermia and exercise-induced hallucinations... So to make up for my original folly, I am doing the Great Manchester Run, the Great Manchester Cycle, and the Great Manchester Swim, henceforth to be known, at least by me, as The Great Manchester Trilogy, for The Stroke Association.

I’m most fearful about the swim, which’ll be a wetsuit-clad one-mile doggy-paddle through Salford Quays. Whether I’m more frightened of drowning or catching Weil’s disease, I’m not entirely sure, but hopefully the knowledge that i’ll be raising money for a worthwhile cause will act as a buoyancy aid!

A few months before I was born, my Grandma passed away after suffering a stroke, meaning that I was never able to meet her. My Gramps often still recounts how powerless he felt to help her at the end of her life. That was thirty years ago, and the advance in treatment and therapy has been immeasurable... now, so many people continue to lead normal lives after suffering a stroke. The Stroke Association has had a huge role in this, particularly through funding research, rehabilitation and through raising public awareness of symptoms enabling rapid and effective treatment.

Please donate anything that you can, pennies or pounds, it all helps with their work. And if you want to come and cheer me along, the dates are as follows:

Great Manchester Run (10k) – 20 May 2012. Completed. Time 47.54

Great Manchester Cycle (26 miles) – 4 June 2012. Completed. Time 1.39.10

Great Manchester Swim (1 mile) – 1 July 2012. Completed. Time 35.15

Thanks for your support!