I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling completely helpless whilst watching televised and online footage of the devastating effects that the pandemic has had in India over the past several weeks. Daily COVID-19 cases are the highest on record for any country at any point during the pandemic - and the worst still to come. The healthcare system has been overwhelmed with many patients dying in/outside hospitals due to lack of access to oxygen.

On a personal level, every person of Indian origin that I have spoken to has had their family affected in some form by this disease. The reality is a daily struggle for families to access basic medicines, food and oxygen for their loved ones and the ongoing lockdown continues to impact livelihoods, education and mental health. 

The privilege of being able to safely socially distance, work from home, and access brilliant healthcare on-demand has never been more evident than over these past few weeks.

For these reasons I have decided, for the first time ever, to commit to a fitness-based challenge in order to raise some much needed donations for the British Asian trust, who have established local partnerships in India in order to distribute oxygen concentrators and medical supplies to those who need it most. The British Asian Trust has been endorsed by the Prince of Wales and featured by the BBC for the excellent work its doing in responding to the crisis. 

Those of you who know me will be able to vouch for my certified couch potato status - I even have a water bottle which says "I uber to the gym" - so cycling 100 miles will be a major accomplishment for me. I'd be enormously grateful for any donations to help me reach my goal of raising £1000 for this worthwhile cause.  

In addition, my current employer Chaucer will be matching the contributions on my page up to £1000, so please do donate generously - and thank you!