In a rather vain attempt to delay the onset of middle-aged spread [I believe they call this a mid-life crisis - Ed.] - and without any prompting from my friends Spitfire and Bishop's Finger - I have decided to have another London Triathlon moment.

Once again, I am doing it for charity.

East Anglia's Children's Hospices ("each") should need little by way of introduction or explanation - the name itself tells you all you need to know. Suffice it to say that any charity devoted to improving the lives of life-threatened children and their families is worthy of a hefty donation in my book. [Mine too - Ed.]

If you would like to know more about each, go to http://www.each.org.uk/

I have set myself (or, I suppose, actually you) a rather modest fund-raising target this year, so please feel free to exceed it...

...either collectively or individually. [If you don't ask, you don't get - Ed.]

For those of you who know little about the London Triathlon, let me enlighten you. As the name suggests, it is a competition comprising three main elements:

Phase 1: the Swim - 1,500m of doggy-paddle in the beautiful, pristine, spring-fed waters of the Docklands; think salmon struggling up a rather murky waterfall (penicillin, anyone?)

Phase 2: the Bike - 40 km of prime London sightseeing between City Airport and a few hundred yards short of Tower Bridge (sufficient yardage short, as it happens, that one sees neither Tower nor Bridge...)

Phase 3: the Run - 10km of lung-bursting, cramp-inducing, knee-swelling, hip-replacement-requiring pain.

Between these phases, I need to peel myself out of a wetsuit, jump on to a bicycle in a wet tri-suit (remembering not to touch my bike until I have donned a helmet), change my shoes (twice) and watch as everybody charges past me while barely breaking into a sweat....

Sounds like fun.

 Yippee do.

Anyway all the pain will have been worth it if I can raise £1,500 for such a worthwhile cause.

So, please dig deep.

THANK YOU

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: East Anglia's Children's Hospices gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.