Thank you so much to everyone who has donated sor far.  Your kindness and generosity mean so much to me, the other walkers and everyone involved with the charities.  Thank you.

I'm James, I'm 26 years old, and on 3 October 2010, three days after my birthday, my Father was taken into hospital where he died aged 60.  He didn't die from a heart attack, he didn't die from cancer, or even from a trauma injury.  He'd been slowly killing himself for the past 20 years by drinking alcohol.

I'm a child of an alcoholic.  It's hard.  Have you ever been so upset by someone that you literally pray for them to die so the stop hurting you?  Have you ever sat for decades and watched one person literally take over and destroy the lives of everyone around them?  As a child, did you ever feel the need to check on your sleeping parent to check they were still alive?  Have you ever received a can of Tango for Christmas because you Dad spent all his money on vodka?

I did and I have.  Thankfully, I'm one of the lucky ones.  I've managed to come out the other side as a responsible and hard working adult and I'm using my own past experiences to help other young people who find themselves in the same dire situation.

The cost of the walk is being paid for out of my own pocket so every single penny raised will go to help COAP and NACOA continue their great work.