Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

As most of you will know last October we lost my lovely cousin Michael to the cruellest of illnesses - mental health problems. I will never forget the day I got that call; I'd always hoped we'd be able to avoid it. For those of you who met him, he was a rare breed - an absolute gentleman. Myself and Michael were both only children, and as much as we were cousins, we was much more to me than that, and even more so in adulthood. He was my big brother, my little brother, my best friend and confidante. As we grew up we had all kinds of mad adventures together - and that did not change as we each became parents in our own right. 2 years ago I roped him into doing a skydive with me for a childrens charity. It was a great day and experience, but equally I landed back on terra firma a sickly shade of green, while he was bouncing around saying "again, again"...and boy did he fill the annoying brother shoes and laugh at me as I lay in a heap waiting for the world to stop spinning. Funnily enough, I always said NEVER AGAIN, but now I have changed my mind!

He spent some very peaceful times in Police Treatment Centres which are run purely for police officers who need help either physically or mentally, in particular the one based in Scotland. I know just how much these times of respite meant to him and they often put a real spring back in his step. In celebration of his life I will be doing a skydive in his memory on his birthday weekend to raise money for this very worthwhile cause. I know he will be smiling and shaking his head watching me gear myself up for this!

Please, please dig deep for this wonderful charity - I will publish exact details of the skydive date etc soon - all are welcome. We are planning on making this a real celebration of not only his life but the work the Centres do. Everyone is welcome to come along to this celebration - family, friends, colleagues - or just those of you who knew of him, met him breifly or want to offer support for this very worthwhile cause. The more the merrier!

To find out more about the work they do and support they give visit their website here.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.