It is said that there are two certainties in life.  I'm running across the Sahara desert to try and make a small difference to one of them, by raising money for St Christopher's Hospice.  This organisation provides palliative care, practical and emotional support that the terminally ill and those close to them need.

I plan to run, walk and (if necessary) crawl around 250km during the Marathon des Sables 2015.  This gruelling race crosses the sand dunes, salt plains and jebels of the Sahara desert.  The race is divided into stages, the longest of which involves up to 34 hours of running in the searing heat, across challenging terrain, carrying everything I need to survive in my rucksack.  The race is in April this  year and having registered and been in training for more than a year, I'm now asking for your support.

Every penny that I raise will go directly to St Christopher's Hospice and makes a valuable contribution to the lives and deaths of those they care for.  The central tenet of hospice care is the belief that death must be approached in a way that respects the worth of each individual and affirms and dignifies life.  Having seen firsthand the compassionate and loving care provided by St Christopher's Hospice, I can testify to their utter commitment to this philosophy.  With only a third of their funding covered by the NHS, their vital work relies on external support.

We all have this journey ahead of us.  Indeed, some of us may experience hospice care in our futures.  With your support, vital institutions such as St Christopher's will endure and continue to serve current and future generations of patients as their need arises.  The sooner you donate, the sooner our money can help support people in the last stages of the journey of life.

So please make a donation as soon as you possibly can.

Thank you,

Gemma

In loving memory of A. Game 06.01.1946-19.01.2012 R.I.P.