A few of us are walking 50 ,miles to help raise money for the Anthony Nolan Charity for blood cancer sufferers – Please consider donating to our Just Giving page

In October 2019 I discovered that some pains were not caused by eating too many salted peanuts as I suspected, but in fact due to Acute Myloid Leukemia. Now, gushing about the NHS is hardly unique to me these days, but they were brilliant and I love every one of them, and throughout the COVID crisis they looked after me and slowly returned me health-wards, despite my endless whining.

I have identified the Anthony Nolan trust as our charity because they were part of that. Anthony Nolan  is a charity that helps save people with blood cancers or disorders, by matching those willing to donate their stem cells to people who desperately need a lifesaving transplant. I was lucky – I have a brother who very kindly agreed to be strapped in a chair for 8  hours to donate (thanks Jonny) but Anthony Nolan also helped manage that process, They also carry out cutting edge scientific research, fund specialist nurses and support patients and their families.

This fundraising is a team effort. In 2018, when life seemed to stretch out ahead of us like a gentle sunlit plain, we did a Thames Challenge walk for charity. Now we want to do another segment of the Thames – 50 miles from Henley to Oxford. We’re doing it in stages to make sure I don’t fall in the Thames like I did last time. Davie & I are doing a 15 mile walk (done!) and a 12 mile walk (early June) and then the rest of the team is joining us for the last big push – 23 miles along the river from Wallingford to Oxford (mid June). I hope this sounds sufficiently hard work for you to donate to our worthy cause!