Dear friends,

Some of you may already know that on 30th April, I will leave warm sunny Sydney in favour of the unwelcomingly low temperatures of Kathmandu.   Do not ask me what possessed me to decide to trek to Everest Base Camp for 12 days.  Some of you may think this not much of a challenge for me, who is seemingly reasonably fit (appearances can be deceptive) and not carrying or attempting to lose extra kg's along the way.    

The real challenge for me will be the fact that we are camping for the entire trip (a tent without ensuite facilities, by no means my favourite abode) with only 3 opportunities to wash in the entire itinerary.  We will be walking 6-8 hours each day, and battling the effects of altitude as we climb to 5,500M at Base Camp and not a G&T in sight..!

Please help me make this trip worthwhile, I am raising money for 2 very worthy causes – 

'The Black Dog Institute'  (www.blackdoginstitute.org.au)

An Australian Charity working to raise awareness in the field of depression and anxiety disorders, is very close to my own heart. Did you know, depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting hundreds of millions of us according to the World Health Org?  

Having suffered Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for years brought on by depression I know just how debilitating a disorder such as this can be.  'The Black Dog Institute' website is well worth a visit, they are continuously raising clinical, research, education and training standards with the aim of improving the lives of those affected.

The second, an English Charity that will receive an equal share of anything you donate is ‘Show Racism the Red Card’. It’s a charity that uses high-profile ‘good’ role model footballers to get a message over to young people that racism has no point in society. 

Thanks so much