As you probably know, my late wife, Mel, who died at the start of 2024, was under the amazing care of Severn Hospice for many years. I continue to be grateful for their support and will take opportunities to raise money for them whenever I can.

So... a year on, I have entered a winter ultra-endurance event called the Fat Viking: 150km on fat bikes in western Norway, on remote snow-covered trails and roads, with checkpoints at 50km and 100km. I'm doing it with a couple of friends, Mike & Stewart, (who I fat biked across Iceland with a couple of years ago). Conditions are unpredictable, but they say temperatures could dip down to -30 degrees C, high winds are likely and snow drifts. A lot of darkness is guaranteed!

As you know, Severn Hospice is with families from the moment they're referred to its care for as long as they need it, and it does this every day, all day for anyone in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Mid Wales who needs that help.

It does this for them for free, but it is not without cost and it can't happen without you. For every £1 you donate, the hospice will spend 84p directly on care – and use the remaining 16p to make another £1.

Last year, all those individual donations meant the hospice could be there when it mattered for 3,000 local families.