John and his wife Victoria have already smashed their £600 target, and hope the generosity of the toy industry will help them raise even more.

This Sunday, Bandai national account manager John Carlaw will be donning his cycling shorts as he and his wife Victoria attempt to complete the 100-mile Prudential Ride London-Surrey in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

“We decided we wanted to raise money for GOSH after one of our close friends told us about the great work the team at the hospital does, and after the excellent care their son received there,” explains John. “As fairly new parents to two little monsters of our own – Archie (age 3 1/2) and Ava Grace (age 18 months) – we felt both lucky and guilty that we have two very healthy, outgoing little people, and have not had to go through the worries our friend and many other parents go experience on a daily basis.”

He adds: “Last summer, Victoria was talking to a friend at a BBQ about how she had cycled the 100-mile Prudential Ride London-Surrey event a few years ago. In my stupid, over confident state – a few glasses of Malbec had been consumed – I dismissed how difficult it is to complete a 100-mile cycle, even though I didn’t even own a bike at the time and 2013, the last time I ran the London Marathon, seems a lifetime ago. We’ve spent the last few months trying to balance work, parenting, moving house and training for this weekend’s event. I have found the training a lot harder than I expected, and Victoria has enjoyed the fact I’ve found it harder than expected. Anyway, we are both now ready and very much looking forward to the challenge – bring on Sunday!”

Readers wanting to sponsor John and Victoria can do so by clicking here; we’re sure everyone will join Toy World in wishing them both the very best of luck for the weekend.