Thanks for taking the time to visit my fundraising page, mucho appreciated-o!

The challenge is to climb Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in western europe, during the summer of 2016. Although i'm a fairly proficient UK hill walker, the highest mountain we have here is Ben Nevis at 1'344m. Mont Blanc is a considerable 4'810m, a hefty 3'466m higher! A good fitness level is going to be key to acclimatising to the altitude and to be able to cover the terrain with ease. Not only that but you have to be experienced in winter hiking, with skills such as ice axe and crampon use. Do i have these skills? No. Sooooo i will be focused on training hard over the next few months to achieve this challenge.

So why am i doing this? Why does it matter? 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health issue in any given year. Yep you heard me right 1 in 4! So why on earth is is so hard to talk about it, if so many of us are experiencing some form of it?? Because the stigma is so ingrained in our society that it can be terrifying admitting you're struggling.

Well i am somebody who has depression and anxiety. Throughout my life there was something not quite right, i just didn't realise what it was. I thought i was just an 'over emotional' 'drama queen' who just needed to 'pull herself together' and 'get on with it'. Had i had a proper diagnosis sooner perhaps my life choices and experiences would've been very different.

I believe that being in the great outdoors and in particular stomping around the mountains has helped me massively. I want to inspire others to get outside and experience the feeling of blissful calm that i have whilst hiking in the hills.