Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

As all of you will know, I'm a sportsman, not an athlete.   I am also a contributor to charitable events, not a participant.   I have gone through life happy with my conscience, in picking up the phone or clicking on a Just Giving site to support charities.  There really was never the occasion you've all been waiting for, for me to don a skin tight, sleeveless tri-suit  (not counting my stag do).

What changed?    On the 19th June 2014, Oscar Cole, a gorgeous baby boy of 16 months, son to Hannah & David Cole and brother of Holly died tragically and unexpectedly.   He had been in hospital being treated routinely for an infection, but nobody imagined that he would not make a full recovery.   In January this year, Hannah & David were finally able to understand what caused Oscar's death. Essentially it was a combination of bad luck and bad timing with Oscar contracting Rotavirus during his treatment which in turn lead to Encephalitis, which is a very rare outcome. You can read more about what happened on their website - www.thinkingofoscar.com.

On Saturday 13th June, I am taking part in the 2015 Blenheim Palace Triathlon with 47 other supporters of this special family and the charity which they have set up in his name.  This event will be the real kick off for Thinking of Oscar and I know Hannah & David are hoping to collectively raise £100,000 across our team.

Laura and I, together with everybody who knows this lovely family have been extremely touched by Oscar's death and Hannah and David's drive to be positive and help others in the name of Oscar in setting up their charity - Thinking of Oscar.    The charity aims to support the relief of sickness and promotion of the health of children, young people and their families whilst in hospital care across England by:

 - Providing support and activities to patients (children), their families and medical teams who strive to make their time in hospital as comfortable as possible.

  - Providing funding for the development of research and development into and the provision of improved diagnostic techniques and technology.

  - Providing increased access to relevant knowledge and data via the sharing of best practice and the application of technology.

The charity is currently in the process of acquiring a HMRC Gift Aid number which means that they cannot at this stage claim Gift Aid on your contributions.  However once they have received this they will then retrospectively be able to apply for Gift Aid manually.  If you are happy for them to do this then please include the word "YES" at the end of your donation and they will get in touch with you at the appropriate time.

Thank you so much for your support.