Elections

Getting too busy to blog now, its more and more manic, with absolutely no let up in the support for and interest in the Liberal Democrats, which I predict will surge higher after tonight's final leaders' debate.

I am spending all my time answering constituents and journalists, delivering and canvassing. The hustings was my first ever, and I was pleased overall; strong start on the economy and strong finish on crime, with a bit of a wobble in the middle caused by random heckle. Onwards and upwards.

Yesterday morning on my way to our campaign HQ I saw a boy of about 13 walking along my street wearing a Lib Dem sticker - he certainly wasn't old enough to vote but just seeing him seemed to summon up what's going on at the moment - 500,000 newly registered voters, most of them young, with a belief that at last real change could be on the way.

This close to the election you might be surprised to hear that I gave myself the afternoon off, but I went to watch my brother and others running the London Marathon for the British Red Cross. We're all very proud of him - just turned 50, stranded in the US by the ash until Friday evening, and still got round in a very respectable 4 hr 38.

Well, that headline should get a few more readers, but don't get excited - the revelations won't come until after I'm elected as MP for Westminster North...

First of all, another great day's canvassing, delivering and everything else involved in running a campaign, with yet another record turnout of helpers. While visiting a newsagents in Westbourne Grove, I got a hello and a smile from someone I'm 99% sure was the sex writer and TV personality Tracey Cox - I hasten to add there were lots of other people out there in Bayswater introducing themselves and saying encouraging things.

Yesterday evening was entertaining - you couldn't make it up. The Conservatives and the Lib Dems often see each other while out campaigning, and I've bumped into Karen Buck a couple of times, but up to now Joanne Cash and I have missed each other on the streets of Westminster.

Until last night. Our Lib Dem team started at one end of the street, and soon we saw the Tories coming from the other, with none of other than Joanne Cash among them. As the BBC were filming us Lib Dems doing our work, the inevitable happened, and when the two parties met halfway up the street, the cameras were there to film it. I don't know what the BBC will end up showing, but all I can say is we didn't stand around chatting!

Well, after months of speculation the election gets called and where am I? Near Turin for an Italian car-loving friend's wedding! BBC World's bringing the excitement of it all to me here - can't wait until Friday when I get back and join in the action! My team's still busy though - major assault being launched tomorrow evening, followed by beers all round

Mark was born in 1958 and grew up in Berkshire. He went to school at Bradfield College, near Reading, and then studied for a degree in Economics at the London School of Economics.

Mark's career was in retail, working for small and large companies, before he opened his own chain of shoe shops, which he sold in 2007. Aside from politics, Mark likes to keep fit with running, cycling and trekking. He has run several marathons, completed the Coast to Coast Walk and the Two Moors Way in Devon for charity, and cycled from Bangkok to Angkor Wat for the Cambodian Red Cross.