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 From comedian & writer Paul Kerensa:

It’s Sport Relief day! Yet I am not, by any stretch of any ligament, sporty.

I was a cross-country runner at school, though… we all were. I’d dart off, then just out of sight from the teachers, enjoy a cross-country saunter. Then sprint the home stretch, once in sight of that tired teacher, who’d wanted to be home hours ago.

And this year, I’ve tried those running apps – to go from Couch-to-Several-K – although there wasn’t as much ‘couch’ as I was hoping. I wanted ‘Day 1, complete boxset of Breaking Bad’. ‘Day 2, warm down with a few Sherlocks.’ I’m more at home telly-watching than pavement-pounding, so I’ll do my Sport Relief bit by watching and donating.

But, my charitable giving can be like my cross-country running. I get charity fatigue – that tight muscle that stops me reaching round to open the wallet. Years back, my donations left speedily, when friends first signed up to half-marathons, or even double half-marathons.

But social media brought requests more frequently. Old causes remained unfixed. Poverty seemed too big a hill to climb – so at times, I’ve given up giving. ‘Dig deep’, they say, in exercise and in charity. Any generous streak slowed – because like in school cross-country, no one was watching. Yet on a public giving page or wedding gift list, where people can see what I’m spending, my generosity somehow returns.

Jesus gave a few words on digging deep when no one’s watching. When you give, he said. don’t announce it with a trumpet. Give to those in need, but don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Your left hand, updating your social media status, need not shout what figure your right hand entered on the donation page. Just do the right thing: give. Where your treasures are, he said, that’s where your heart is.

I may think a lot of sport is much ado about nothing, but by George, we need more ado about poverty and hunger here and abroad, the battle against malaria, mental health funding challenges, and children without access to healthcare.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Whether it’s Sport Relief or generosity at large, the finish-line may be far off yet. But just because it’s long distance, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t dig a little deeper as we go.