On 10th September, my colleagues and I are doing the 25km Thames Bridges Trek, starting at Fulham, finishing at Bermondsey, and crossing all 16 of London's bridges. We're doing this to raise money for Borne, an organisation that researches ways to end premature birth.

Our sons, Jamie and Owen, were born just after midnight on Sunday 24th January 2021, slightly over 3 months and a week before their due date. We had known they were going to be born early and, after a series of complications, it became a question of their mum, Tash, holding out for as long as possible. She did this amazingly, for nearly a month longer than expected, which undoubtedly saved them.

They spent the first 16 weeks of their lives in various hospitals, being cared for brilliantly at Watford General, where they were born, Luton & Dunstable, where they were in NICU, at Great Ormond Street, where both underwent serious surgical procedures, and again at Watford, before finally coming home, Owen on 17th May, Jamie on 25th.

We count ourselves astonishingly lucky that they survived and they are happy, determined, and wonderful boys. But however amazingly they were cared for, and however many times their lives were saved, they will both face challenges for the rest of their lives because of how early they were born.

If we can help to prevent that, and worse, from happening to other babies and families, we should. That's why I'm raising money.

As someone who knows our boys and has probably supported us through some incredibly difficult times, thank you. And thank you for donating.

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.