Story
<p>Hi Everyone, </p>
<p>Thanks for having a read of my fundraising page for the Motor Neurone Disease Assocation.</p>
<p>As some of you may know, Luke, Melzie, Tab & myself lost our Dad to MND in 1998, when I was 13 years old. </p>
<p>Richard Stokes was a completely amazing man, and I hope some of you reading this knew him and can remember his vitality and enthusiasm for so many things (including walking!) which made him such a wonderful father and person. I'll be using all my incredible memories of him to help keep me going when it gets tough on the walk. </p>
<p>MND is still relatively unknown, but it is a horrible degenerative illness which can strip away most of the quality of life from the sufferer, from mobility to speech, and unfortunately it is a terminal illness. I would like to try and raise as much money as I can to help current sufferers of it and their families. Raising money is also vitally important for research purposes as there is still <strong>no cure</strong> for MND. Hopefully one day there will be, and if I can contribute in some way to finding it, I will be a very happy hiker. </p>
<p>So, why the 630 mile walk? Well, Dad instilled in me a love of the outdoors and nature and I think he would have liked the idea of it. My family have lived and holidayed in the South West all our lives so it holds a special place in my heart and I can't think of anywhere I'd rather take on this challenge.</p>
<p>From a selfish point of view, I get to hang out with Rudy, my beloved pooch for two months (althouth I probably won't be saying that after sharing a tent with her for weeks on end) and indulge my passion for exploring the countryside to the extreme! </p>
<p>So the plan is:</p>
<p>3.9.2012: Set off from Minehead, Somerset...</p>
<p>and keep going for 630 miles around the coast of Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, Devon (again) and Dorset until I reach...</p>
<p>South Haven Point, Dorset </p>
<p>Hopefully around 8 weeks later, all being well. If you don't hear from me, send out a search party! </p>
<p>There are 45 days of walking and I shall probably need a rest day every week or so, depending on how hardcore I become. I shall try and post a link or map on this page of my route soon but I should be averaging about 14 miles a day.</p>
<p>I'm camping all the way round, except for some places where there isn't a campsite within walking distance of the path, where I'll allow myself the luxury of a B & B. </p>
<p>Please give as generously as you can for this fantastic cause and feel safe in the knowledge I will be earning it in sand, sweat & tears!</p>
<p>Thank you very much in advance</p>
<p>Verity </p>
<p>Blog of my training & fundraising:</p>
<p>www.thewalk3912.blogspot.co.uk</p>
<p> </p>