Ok, so here we are, what's this all about, what am I doing, why and who for...

What - so on Sunday 30th June I will be taking part in the Bolton Ironman 70.3. This is a swim, cycle, run triathlon, and the 70.3 is the total distance covered (in miles), which is exactly half of a full Ironman (1.2-mile open water swim + 56-mile cycle + 13.1-mile half marathon run), then exactly 4 weeks later, on Sunday 29th July, I will be taking part in the London T-100 Olympic length Triathlon which is a 0.93-mile swim (Royal Victoria Dock) + 24.9-mile cycle + 6.2-mile run.

Why - well if I'm being totally transparent and honest, I'm doing it for me, because I want to prove to me (& to others), that at 58 I can still do all the things that I have always loved doing, that age is a number and has no bearing on what can be done or achieved, that there is still a whole lot of life left in this body, and I am going to use every single minute of this gift of life to the full, and if this mindset inspires, or encourages, or drives others to do the same, then fucking aye to that!

Who for - so of course as I am doing this it does make sense to try to raise some funds for organisations that mean a lot to me, those whom I have used myself or have loved ones who have used them, so this is why I have set this page up, and is why over the coming weeks I am going to unashamedly promote it and not stop going on about it, so be prepared for the blah blah blah haha!

I have chosen 3 organisations to raise monies for.

As an Army veteran, having a son serving in the Royal Marines, and having many friends who served I have chosen Combat Stress.

Following chemotherapy and Radiotherapy for cancer a few years back, I would not have got through the mental strain (& complex-PTSD) that this caused without the amazing Macmillan team, in fact, I used them for counselling and therapy again last year, they're an absolute god-send!

I am a host for Mental Health Swims in Margate, the community, support, compassion and incredible community MHS brings is just so incredible, but to train our hosts, to maintain the running of the organisation, which is all voluntary, we need a constant income stream, so here I am.

All 3 organisations rely on volunteers, fundraisers, donations to be able to deliver the services they do, so I as you to please donate what you can, even a single pound will make a huge difference. If everyone who receives this message and link donates just a pound, wow, that would be awesome, so in advance, THANK YOU x