I am walking 80 miles around the Yorkshire Dales in 6 days with my family and friends. Starting at Grassington, me and my fellow walkers will pass through Buckden, Askrigg, Reeth, , Kettlewell and then back to Grassington. We will be walking approximately 15 miles a day, camping on route come rain or shine all to raise as much money as we can for Stoke Mandeville National Spinal Injuries Unit. Here's why........

On 27th December 2009 my little brother Lewis had a car accident and broke his neck. He was rushed to Stoke Mandeville National Spinal Injuries Unit where he underwent intensive treatment including traction to realign the dislocated vertebrae and an operation to repair the damage in his neck. He has been there ever since being cared for by the excellent staff at the hospital.

Lewis broke and dislocated his neck at vertebrae C6/C7 and could not feel anything below his nipples. His spine went into shock after the accident, which means it closed down to protect itself, so the extent of the damage was not fully known. Nevertheless, Lewis was still categorised as a complete injury which means he would not regain any movement or feeling below that vertebrae. Lewis's spine is coming out of shock now and there have been some small, but very significant improvements. He has regained some movement in his fingers and has started to feel other parts of his body such as the back of his knee. This has led to the recategorisation of Lews injury to an incomplete at C8 which means Lewis could still regain feeling and movement below that vertebrae. Lewis is now in rehab and is spending his days in physio therapy which is a vital part of his recovery. He is learning to get about in a wheel chair, and is taking on every day tasks that are now huge challenges.

Lewis will get life-long follow-up treatment from Stoke Mandeville and will have access to all the facilities it provides such as occupational and physio therapy. The hospital also provides ongoing care and assessment of children with spinal cord injury, a posture and seating clinic, gait analysis, driving assessment and a computer workshop. They strive to be at the forefront of clinical educational and research development in all matters relating to spinal cord injury, incorporating links with universities and other spinal centres both nationally and internationally.

Stoke Mandeville saved my little brothers life, and are going to play a very important part in the rest of it. I want to help them help Lewis and other patients by raising money to go towards research, new equipment, staff and facilities for patients.

Please help us do that by donating through JustGiving. It is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.