This a picture of my son and his good mate Jack. Jack’s known as Big Jack round these parts because my lad, Jacques, is the little one.

Yesterday, February 4th 2010, Big Jack was diagnosed with cancer. He’s only 9 years old. It’s devastating news and we’re all still reeling from it.

Looking on the bright side (and you have to) the doctors are relatively positive that two months of intense chemotherapy will stand a good chance of dealing with the tumour and that surgery will not be necessary.

I’d already been planning this year’s charity bike ride (many will know that for the past couple of years a bunch of mates and I have hauled our sorry middle-aged backsides onto unforgiving racing bikes and pedaled across various bits of European countryside for charity). However, I hadn’t, as yet, decided on which charity to support in 2010. I have now and, unsurprisingly, I’ll be raising money for Cancer Research.

You can donate online here and anything you can spare would be greatly appreciated.