In April I will be running 150 miles across the Sahara in the so called, hardest footrace on earth, the Marathon des Sables. I'll be running for Mencap, a charity close to my heart because my brother, Tom, is mentally handicapped.
 
I've spent a lifetime watching authorities and ignorant people disregard and in some cases abuse one of the most important people in my life (hell, at times I have been an unforgivable arsehole to him too). People like Tom can't articulate themselves as easily as you or I can, and it is the work of charities like Mencap that give him a voice and fight for his right to a decent, fulfilling life. Hard to believe that until relatively recently accepted policy was to lock people like Tom away in long stay hospitals.
 
The government can get away with woefully underfunding the needs of people like my brother because he has no vote and can't write pompous letters to the Guardian when things piss him off. We have charities like Mencap to thank for the fact that Tom has a happy, comfortable home within which his personality, love, life and independence can flourish. I hope that his life gets better, and that the lives and personal freedoms of those with learning disabilities continue to improve.
 
I've spent a lifetime as an indulged urban princess. A year ago I could barely run five miles, so this distance is a big ask; that's before we add on the 40+ degree heat, the backpack full of all provisions (except water), and the fact that I have to share a goatskin tent with complete strangers.

Be sure to know your money will be going towards a great cause - as well as my suffering and shocking skin-damage. If you aren't feeling the altruism, then donate for the pure joy of schadenfreude, you'll not find a more satisfying cause.
 
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Kate Spicer