This year, at the creaky old age of 51, I will be swimming, cycling and running my first ever triathlon - provided the training (which is appalling) doesn't actually kill me.

I have until 1st June to get fit enough for Blenheim Triathlon. It's all to raise money for Hospice Ukraine, the charity I co-founded with neurosurgeon Henry Marsh when I first visited Ukraine 8 months after the Russian invasion. We saw first hand the shattering impact of war on Ukraine's health services - especially its hospices and palliative care teams.

Hospice Ukraine's mission is simple. We support hospice teams across Ukraine to provide palliative care for all in need at the end of life. So far, we've partnered with two local teams Sambir Hospice in Lviv and the Dobrubut Foundation in Kyiv.

Our goal for 2024 is more ambitious. Working closely with local clinicians, we will build an interactive, multimedia, teaching website to provide high quality training in palliative care to teams across Ukraine.

Our fund-raising target of £50,000 will also support in-person education visits from UK palliative care doctors to Ukraine, plus, ultimately, annual educational visits from Ukrainian doctors to the UK.

Anything you can spare for this fundraiser would be hugely appreciated - because we all deserve comfort and dignity at the end of life, no matter where we live.

Thank you so much.

Rachel xx