Although fund raising wasn't the driving force behind the idea of doing something like this, it's a great opportunity to raise money for charity. 

The two charities I'm raising money for are the Fire Services National Benevolent Fund and The Prostate Cancer Charity.  

• To make a donation to the Fire Services National Benevolent Fund, please click here

• To make a donation to The Prostate Cancer Charity please click here  

All donations go directly to the charity of your choice

To make donating easy and secure, the two links above are for two accounts with Justgiving.  They are the leading charity fundraising website, having helped raise over £100m in online donations.  Donations are made electronically by debit/credit card and Gift Aid can automatically be claimed and added to your donation.

The Fire Services National Benevolent Fund provides assistance to serving and retired Fire Service personnel, their widow/ers and young dependants.   It provides sheltered accommodation, recuperative facilities, rehabilitation and therapy, in addition to financial support for those who need it. 

The charity now helps about 10,000 beneficiaries every year, and has recently introduced new initiatives such as Child and Family Therapy programmes, which aim to enhance the quality of life for Fire Service personnel families who have a child with an illness or disability. 

The charity's services cost upwards of £9m per annum to maintain, and these services are financed almost exclusively by the fundraising efforts of the charity.

The Prostate Cancer Charity is the largest and most comprehensive of the charities focused specifically on prostate cancer.  Their aim is to encourage, support and carry out research into the causes, prevention and treatment of prostate cancer and also research the impact of living with the disease.   In recent years they have invested nearly £5 million in vital medical research and supported thousands of men and their families.

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in the United Kingdom.   Every year nearly 32,000 cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed, resulting in more than 10,000 deaths each year.  

12% of all cancers are prostate cancer!