SIX IN SIX (for the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service and HEART UK)

Starting on May 26, 2010, I will run the length of the Western Isles in the Outer Hebrides; from Vatersay (south of Barra) in the south to the Butt of Lewis in the north. That's across ten islands. I aim to complete this in six days - which means approximately 27.5 miles daily...more than a marathon-a-day! This is an adventure I have planned myself; it's not an official event. There will only be me running on roads, trails and through hills, with Neil, my brother - acting as support crew/first aider/official photographer - on his bike.

Why?

Firstly, to raise awareness to the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (scotblood.co.uk) and urge people to donate blood. Jen, Neil's wife, would not be here today - after she suffered a postpartum haemorrhage (a life-threatening loss of blood) - if it were not for the SNBTS.

Secondly, I would like to raise money for HEART UK (heartuk.org.uk). HEART UK aim to prevent premature deaths caused by high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. Some families have a particular type of inherited high cholesterol. This is called ′familial hypercholesterolaemia′ (FH). It’s not caused by an unhealthy lifestyle, but is passed from generation to generation through a ′faulty gene′. In 2002 I discovered I had FH.

So, please donate money to HEART UK and, because the SNBTS is not a charity – please donate blood instead.

You can follow my progress, if you wish, by visiting http://amoxey.wordpress.com where I am attempting to write a blog!

Many thanks,

Aly