Some close family friends of ours have a daughter called Lauren who was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome when she was about 18 months old. Lauren's Mum and Dad are involved with a new charity organisation called the Rett Syndrome Research Trust UK. Obviously for very personal reasons we want to see this charity really take off and do well. The simple fact is that if it does, then there is a more realistic chance of seeing developments for a cure for Lauren in her lifetime. We can't put in to words what that chance would mean to Lauren and her family.

Rett Syndrome is a debilitating disorder which most often strikes healthy little girls just after they have learned to walk and say a few words and begins to drag their development backwards. As the cascade of Rett symptoms descends, girls lose acquired skills, normal movement and speech. Girls are left unable to communicate or use their hands to hold, carry or manipulate objects. Over time, girls who have learned to walk often lose that ability as well. Loss of motor control sets in, essentially locking these girls into bodies that won't work, leaving them without the ability to make puroposeful movements.

So the Mitchell team are attempting the three peaks challenge of climbing all three of the highest mountains in the UK in under 24 hours, and every penny raised will go towards finding a cure for Retts, so please give generously!