I’m joining in with Decembeard to help beat bowel cancer. From 1st December I’m joining the manly (hipster) ranks by giving up shaving for the month. It’s all to raise vital funds for the charity Beating Bowel Cancer and help them reach their goal of raising £250,000 so they can support more people affected by the disease.

I was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer in May 2013 and have undergone two operations and 5 months of chemotherapy which came to an end in January 2014.  I'm glad to say I'm now recovering and getting back to normality but my experiences have had a huge impact on me.

I'm still not physically strong enough to do a sponsored bike ride, or sky dive, hike or swim.  But I might be able to grow a dubious patch of facial hair.