2024 has seen me pushing myself to the limit, challenging my body in a way I never have before by completing hat-trick of massive endurance challenges over the course of the year.

It's been an epic year and I am proud to be raising money for this wonderful charity, partly in memory of my brother Jamie who took his own life 20 years ago aged just 14. The Children's Society aims to overturn the damaging decline in young people's wellbeing by 2030: a noble goal I think we can all get behind.

So what did my year look like?

First, I ran the London Marathon on 21st April. This was my first ever marathon and I finished in a pleasing and highly respectable time of 4:05:52. Not bad for a first attempt!

Next, I progressed to my biggest-ever season of cycling time trials. May saw me conditioning myself back to being on a bike, building my mileage up and completing the New Forest 100-mile sportive in early June. Having never competed in races longer than 50 miles before (and I'd only done a couple of those!), I proceeded to compete in all the key distances to qualify for the BBAR (British Best All Rounder) and Short BBAR competitions: starting with 10, 25 and 50 miles then moving into the 100 (as big an undertaking as running a marathon!) and the 12-HOUR. I surpassed my expectations of myself across the board and, despite some challenges along the way, have largely enjoyed the process.

Finally, I completed my BIG WALK from my home in Poole to our charity's national offices in central London. This gruelling and epic adventure saw me take on an average of more than a marathon a day for5 days, with a shorter final day (still clocking up well over 10 miles!) to arrive at a sociable hour. It was more mentally draining than I ever could have imagined and each day was longer than planned, ultimately clocking up 149 miles from an expected 130!

The Children's Society is a national charity with a goal of overturning the damaging decline seen in young people's wellbeing in the last decade by 2030. We support children, young people and families through their most serious life challenges and campaign tirelessly for the big social changes that will improve their lives.

With this year marking the 20th anniversary of my brother Jamie (I'm one of triplets) taking his own life aged just 14, I cannot think of a more apt or noble cause than improving the wellbeing of our children and young people. Please give what you can, and share this page - it all helps raise vital funds for this important work. Thank you 🙏♥️