Martin is Fundraising and Campaigns Director for the Children’s Society, one of the country’s leading children’s charities helping over 50,000 children and their families every year. At the children’s society he leads a team of over 100 staff, and firmly believes in not asking anyone to do anything that he wouldn’t do himself – which is one reason why he finds himself taking part in the Challenge!

Martin began his working life as a primary school teacher and then pursued a rather chequered career that eventually found him working with charities helping them raise funds and communicate more effectively..

He is an interested observer of politics. Noting that unity is often achieved in the face of common adversity he is excited that the challenge participants are setting aside their party differences to take on a formidable challenge for a very worthwhile cause.

Like Emily he is a keen cyclist, braving the London traffic each day. He passionately believes that children are not only often the best people to come up with solutions to their own lives, but that if we spent more time listening to them, they could probably help us solve some of the wider problems that we face. He has been confirmed in this belief by recently becoming a father of two small children