Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Lots of you have supported sponsored walks for St Luke's Hospice in previous years, since the 1990s. But I make no apology for asking you again. Sadly, people in our area continue to need hospice care as much as ever, and corners cannot be cut in providing it. It needs people with the dedication, compassion and skill that our staff and volunteers have. Our annual walks have generally raised enough to keep the hospice going for about three weeks, and we are aiming to do at least as well this year.

Our 2013 walk covers nearly 80 miles of the Heart of England Way, from Cannock Chase in Staffordshire to Bourton-in-the-Water in the Cotswolds. I'm working as part of the backup team. This will involve me in driving round ahead of the 80 walkers, placing and recovering direction and warning signs, seeing them across busy roads, and rescuing walkers who ignore the direction signs. So I shall be pretty busy. Just like the walkers, I meet my own costs of accommodation and travel. So your sponsorship goes entirely towards the cost of providing care for Harrow and Brent people in the last stage of their lives. St Luke's makes no charge on patients for their care, and around 70% of the cost has to be raised by fund-raising.

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.