I'll never forget driving to hospital with my one-year-old son in the car seat beside me.

I'd given him a breadstick not realising that it contained milk powder. He had a severe allergic reaction and I didn’t know what to do.

At A&E he was given the right drugs and was soon better but managing serious allergies became part of my family’s everyday life.

Sam is nine now, and full of beans. He is allergic to nuts, eggs, milk and all dairy products and shellfish. He's never tasted ice-cream, milk chocolate or peanut butter.

He has to carry two adrenaline injectors, a bottle of antihistamine and a steroid inhaler wherever he goes. He copes with his allergies brilliantly and we are very aware that we are lucky to have a child that is otherwise so healthy and happy.

Having a serious allergy is not the same as a food intolerance. The body can reacte by going into complete shut down or anaphylaxis.

Allergies can develop at any age and with no warning (as the little one from Miranda discovered http://www.allergyuk.org/about-our-appeal/celebrity-supporters).

Anaphylaxis has increased seven-fold over a decade.

Between 1991 and 2004, the number of children admitted to hospital with food allergy reactions has increased by more than 600%

The Anaphylaxis Campaign works to help find a cure, to support people with serious allergies, and to lobby government and the food industry to help sufferers.

It would be great if you could help support a cause I feel so passionately about.

My ride will cover 1,000 miles in 11 days. I only started cycling two years ago and remember being delighted that I could cycle 15 or 20 miles. I'll be in the saddle for around seven hours a day covering 80-105 miles. There are some hills and mountains along the way - Everest is 29,000ft, I'll be climbing more than 35,000ft!

I'm paying for all my own costs so every penny you donate will go to the charity.

If you'd rather give me the cash I promise not to spend it on lycra and chaffing ointment.

If you want to follow my progress, have a look at http://milesbigride.blogspot.co.uk/ or follow me on Twitter @mileskendall

 

Here's the small print: 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.

So please dig deep and donate now.