Getting on a stage as a stand-up comedian to attempt to amuse a crowd of people is something I have always avoided - and now I am going to face the music!

Why am I doing it? 

Because... people with 'funny faces' like mine don't find life very funny... too often, they fear being on the stage, in the spotlights. Every social situation has the potential to go wrong and they can find it hard to deal with the seemingly inevitable and intrusive staring, comments and questions from other people. 

Changing Faces helps those with unusual faces and their parents/family to face their fears every day.

We know some of these reactions stem from the fear, unfamiliarity and uncertainty that 'disfigurement' provokes - unnecessarily but still pervasively. Changing Faces aims to challenge every single instance of facial prejudice and promote 'face equality' in every cultural setting.

The Face Your Fears campaign aims to raise awareness of this painful and preventable situation, to help people overcome their fears and to raise money to change this situation all at the same time!

I am doing it in order to... prove to myself that I can be amusing - even funny - and deal with the most scary part, the heckling!

It's just FIVE minutes of terror about which I will sweat and worry for the next month. And I'm showing how good I am at comedy but launching this on Friday 13th... Aaargh!

So please support me in my fear-facing as generously as you can. 

Thank you very much indeed. 

You might also want to link to www.faceyourfears.org.uk and include #faceyourfears in your tweets. 

Maybe you've got a fear to face too. Please consider taking it on...