My 24-hour sponsored cycle is to give Bertie and his family hope and to show them they are not alone. This is my third Bike for Bertie and this year I'm cycling from Southport to Dumfries and back - 300 miles! We can fight muscular dystrophy and change Bertie's future. Anything you can spare to sponsor my 24 hour cycling challenge will help Bertie get closer to a cure.

• My wife and I have known Bertie since he was a baby. When he was 2, he was diagnosed with a really rare form of muscular dystrophy called Collagen VI myopathy.  He is now 7 and has faced lots of challenges. He uses a wheelchair to get from A to B, can walk a little but falls a lot and can't get up from the floor by himself. His hands are weak - think how many things you use your hands for every day. It is really frustrating for him. He's a fun little guy but life can be really hard when your muscles don't work properly.  Muscular dystrophy is a progressive muscle-wasting disease, meaning that without a cure, things will get worse and worse for him. 

• Muscular Dystrophy UK (MDUK) is the charity for people living with muscle-wasting conditions and thanks to their fundraising in recent years researchers have discovered a lot about what is happening inside the cells of people like Bertie. One of the findings is that structures in the cells called mitochondria – which are the ‘batteries’ supplying energy – are not functioning correctly. Two drugs have shown promise – Omigapil and Debio 025. A company called Santhera is conducting a clinical trial of Omigapil.  What I'm saying here is that there is hope on the horizon but as with anything, this research needs to be funded. 

Help fund the research into a cure before it is too late for Bertie.