Despite the Marathon nearly defeating me last year and saying that I would never do another one, I have signed up to have another crack at the Manchester Marathon.

My aim is to put in a more respectable performance, beating last years time to finish around the 3hours 30minutes mark. I will be running in aid of a Manchester based children's charity that means a lot to me.

I have been involved with Destination Florida now for a number of years. Every 2 years we take around 70 children, between the ages of 7 to 15 who have missed out on the fun and laughter of childhood due to illness, on a week long holiday to Florida.

These trips cost a huge amount of money for flights, accommodation, food, insurance and medical needs. As with all charities, these types of trips would not be possible without the generosity of others, and it is why I am hoping that you will be kind enough to sponsor me so that we can keep this great charity going.

Your donation, no matter how big or how small, goes towards making these children forget their problems for one week in their life, a week that they will cherish for the rest of their life.