Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page - and hopefully having gotten this far you won't leave before parting with a few quid!

Given that I can't afford a Porsche, the impending mid-life crisis has resulted in me deciding to run the Belfast City Marathon - all 26 odd miles of it - on Mon 2 May 2011!! And given that up until about 4 months ago I assumed such a distance could only be covered with the help of motorised transport it will be no mean feat!

So in order to ensure I stick with the training and complete the event, I have decided to go public and also nominate a worthy charity for which I would hope to raise some much needed funds via sponsorship.

Deciding on the beneficiary was easy. Based not least on personal experiences and events of the past couple of years, I applied to join the board of Stepping Stones NI (www.stepping-stones.org.uk). I have been a member of the company and sitting as a board member on a voluntary basis since October 2010 and now more than ever in these times of austerity and cuts, I would dearly love to contribute directly to the services Stepping Stones can provide while also hopefully helping raise awareness of the charity and its social enterprises including Pink Elephant Cards.

So please have a look at the website to get a feel for some of the great work the guys are doing and please please please dig deep to help Stepping Stones survive and thrive!

*** All donations, however small, are gratefully received but consider this......Even if only around 50% of my Facebook friends at time of writing contributed £20 each (less than £1 per mile!) that alone would raise £2,300 !!!  ***

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.