<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Sponsored walk, from Manchester to Sheffield (that's 40 miles)</span></strong></p> <p>One year ago I began volunteering for a fantastic charity called Friendship Works. Their aim is to match young people from challenging backgrounds with a mentor to help them deal with their difficulties.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Since July 2010 I've been meeting up with my match, Zac, every weekend to hang out, play cards, watch films and generally have some fun.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Zac is an intelligent, funny and charming 15-year-old boy,&nbsp;whose chaotic family life means his home is, unfairly, a really tough place to grow up.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>But in the year I've known Zac, I've watched him overcome this fact to become a confident young man, busting a gut to finish his GCSEs and, best of all, starting a summer job at an investment bank after making a great impression during work experience.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>He says he wouldn't have been able to do all of this without the help of Friendship Works, so I'm doing a (ridiculously long) walk in the hope that any money raised will go towards empowering more kids like Zac to believe in themselves and achieve success.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Please donate what you can afford, or if you want to talk to me in more detail about how you can become a mentor, just pick up the phone.</p> <p>Thanks,</p> <p>Ed&nbsp;</p>