Running the London Marathon is a huge personal challenge for me. I took up running 3 years ago when I was approaching my 50th birthday. I have run 5 half-marathons and a number of 10k races but I never thought that I would run a marathon.

Two years ago, my friend and fellow Saffron Strider James Kew ran the London Marathon in an astonishing time of 3 hours 5 minutes. Four months later, he was dead, killed in a tragic accident while running on a beautiful summer evening. I am so glad that he achieved his dream of running a marathon before he died and I want to take every opportunity that comes along.

I am running to raise funds for the Joliba Trust and their work with the Dogon communities in Mali - one of the three poorest countries in the world. I have never been to Mali but I have fallen in love with the country through its music and I want to give something back. Those who have been to Mali speak of its rich musical and artistic culture and the warmth and hospitality of its people. I was privileged to witness some of this hospitality during a visit to the neighbouring Sahel region of Burkina Faso in 2007.

Joliba means River Niger or 'riches of life' in the local language. The Joliba Trust works with farming and cattle-raising communities to provide low-cost solutions to environmental problems and gives credit to small farmers and artesans, many of them women, to enable them to buy donkey carts or start small businesses. Costs are kept low so all of the money goes directly where it is needed. Please take a look at their website to see more about their work.

Please give whatever you can and I promise it will be put to good use. All donations will be appreciated, but if I can raise £1000 it will provide water to a village school and £2000 will bring clean water to an entire village by paying for a well to be repaired. When I run the marathon, I will be relying on bottled water to get me around, yet many people in Mali do not have access to safe, clean water for drinking, washing and cooking. Please help me to provide this.

I am aiming to run the marathon in under 4 hours. This is a tough challenge, but with sacrifice and hard work over the next few months I believe I can do it. Please consider sponsoring me now and then adding an extra donation if I achieve my target on 13 April. That will give me the motivation I need to keep going during those long winter training runs and when the going gets tough on the day.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they will never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, your money will be sent directly to the Joliba Trust. Please remember to add Gift Aid to your donation at no extra cost provided you pay enough tax.

Thank you for your support.

Tony