My husband Andy died on 29th April 2018, just two years after being diagnosed with Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD). CBD is a rare, progressive, neurological disorder which leaves the sufferer unable to balance, walk, eat, swallow and drink.  As yet, there is no cure. Andy was uncomplaining as the disease progressed, but it was very hard for the family to watch him deteriorate.

So I am going to trek 25 miles along Hadrian's Wall from the 13th to 15th September 2019 with my sister Eileen Bevan and friend Jane Sim in Andy's memory. We three Musketeers have set ourselves a target of £1275.

Why walk Hadrian's Wall to raise funds, you may be asking! Well, when Andy was ill he did an online course on Hadrian's Wall. He was curious about its history, for he had Youth Hostelled in that area with his family when he was a child.  Before CBD changed Andy's life, he and I had visited the Roman fort near Corbridge on our way back from the Model Rail show in Telford.  By the way, that's why I chose the photo of Andy, taken a year before he died, with the model of a carriage he built himself for his business Lochgorm Kits.  Andy's model rail business kept him going through the last two very challenging years. He was very brave and kept smiling, but he had a very tough time.  It is an extremely cruel disease.

 So trekking along Hadrian's Wall just seems the right thing to do. I will remember him as I walk. I also want to raise funds and awareness for PSPA, the charity which gave us good support when Andy was ill, and which supports research into CBD and PSP, a similar progressive neurological disease.  

Rome wasn't built in a day and I am realistic that there will not be a quick cure for CBD or PSP, for they are complex conditions of the brain.  However there is hope for the future because of research, which the PSP Association supports, and I am focused on that.

If you would like to sponsor us we'd be delighted!  Thank you very much for your support.

Elizabeth Copp, Eileen Bevan and Jane Sim

PSPA is a national charity providing support and information to people living with PSP and CBD, while funding research into treatments and ultimately a cure. We aim to improve the lives of everyone affected by PSP and CBD. We rely entirely on voluntary donations, and that's why we need your support.