Hi Everyone,

As some of you may already be aware, I am currently fundraising for the Lymphoma Association, a charity which offers information and emotional support to patients and their families affected by lymphatic cancer.  In October, I will be trekking nearly 70 miles across the desert to Petra in Jordan in aid of this cause.  Over six days, we will cross a wide variety of challenging terrains including stony desert plains, sand dunes, rocky wadis (dried-up river beds) and mountains climbing up to 2,500ft – something that will be particularly challenging given my fear of heights!  Daytime temperatures will also reach a sweltering 30 degrees - even in October - and we will be rough camping in the desert for six nights, so this promises to be no walk in the park.

With only five months to go, my training regime now begins in earnest.  Having already replaced my monthly season ticket with a bike, it’s now time to cut out the junk food and beer, and locate a large enough sandpit in which to practice walking across hot sand dunes.

Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed so far to support the work of the Lymphoma Association.  There’s still a long way to go to reach my fundraising target, but every little helps.  To donate in support of this cause, please visit my JustGiving page at http://www.justgiving.com/AdamPaulTrekToPetraJordan2011.  And remember, that for every £1 donated by UK taxpayers, an additional 28p of Gift-Aid will be added. 

As an added incentive, if I reach the £1,000 mark by July I will shave off my beard for the first time in nearly three years.  If I reach the half-way mark by then, I may even shave my legs too… 

Over the next few months, I will be organising some exciting participatory activities to help fundraise further for the charity including a sponsored Chilli Cook-Off and a long awaited Guyball Challenge (for those of you who haven’t seen the TV show Green Wing, click here to find out more).  So watch this space!  Any offers of help with either event, or additional fundraising suggestions very much appreciated. 

Even if you choose not to donate to this cause at this moment in time, it would be very much appreciated if you are able to help raise awareness of the charity and its work.  I would therefore be extremely grateful if you could circulate this message to your friends, family, colleagues, networks and any other contacts.

Many thanks for your support,

Adam