Inflammatory Bowel Disease - the collective name for Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis -  is a debilitating medical condition which affects more people than Parkinson’s, but is far less well known. Footballer Darren Fletcher, TV presenter Carrie Grant, and comedian Stewart Lee all have IBD, as does my 12-year-old son, Jake, who was diagnosed at three. Jake has been in and out of hospital for most of his life, takes 10 pills every day and an intravenous infusion every two months.

Spurred on by the desire to raise cash for research into finding a cure for IBD I'm running the Greater Manchester Marathon for a second time. This year it's on April 19. I've so far raised £2,500 in total over the past year or so-  but with your help we can make that figure higher. As 26.2 miles is an equivalent  distance from Manchester to, er, Huddersfield, I'll be needing everyone's support to get around.

Even though Jake's IBD is nowadays well controlled, he still has times when the symptoms are bad, enduring much pain and distress. But Jake won’t be beaten by the disease and manages to live life to the full. CCUK works tirelessly to improve the lives of IBD sufferers like my son. Scientists are making great strides in finding ways to treat IBD, but there’s such a long way to go, so CCUK’s funding of essential research is hugely important.

Please sponsor me to take part in the Greater Manchester Marathon and raise money for CCUK. You can visit their website here: http://www.nacc.org.uk/content/home.asp