In May 2017 we sadly lost our close friend and sister Rachel. Rach was a beautiful, strong, fun and inspiring person who had been struggling with chronic pain for a number of years caused by nerve damage as a result of breaking her back in 2009.

Rach's Army is made up of Kezia, Helen, Nay, Jess, Tony, Amy, Jack, Craig, Hayley & Joe.

This May we will be challenging ourselves to take part in the 'Tough Mudder Classic', an 8-10 mile run with 25 extreme obstacles - which includes plunging into deep icey water, crawling under barbed wire, running through electric wires and using team work and strength to lift, carry and pull each other over and under high and tight obstacles - https://toughmudder.co.uk/events/what-is-tough-mudder-classic

For a group of friends usually found in the local pub with a pint or caring for young babies this will really challenge us physically and mentally but we will use the inspiration we get from Rachel's strength and courage to carry us through.

We would like to raise money for A Way With Pain, a charity that provides support and information for people living with chronic pain. They also help to raise awareness of the condition itself - https://www.awaywithpain.co.uk/

In relation to this we would like to raise money for Endometriosis UK. Endometriosis is chronic condition which affects an estimated 1 in 10 women in the UK and has a significant impact on a women’s life including chronic pain, fatigue, depression and fertility problems. - https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/

Rach sponsored one of our team members for this cause before passing away. We feel that it is important to include as she wanted to support this charity.

Fortunately, mental health is something people are becoming more aware of in recent times. The final charity that we would like to raise money for is Mind Suffolk. This is close to our hearts as Rachel was diagnosed with bipolar after her accident. Her strength and courage enabled her to walk again after breaking her back and gain control of her bipolar. Rachel became a peer support worker for Mind and used her own experiences to help others. We believe Rach would be proud of us raising money for this charity. - https://www.suffolkmind.org.uk/

As well as this Just Giving page we will also have collection pots in Stradbroke Spar shop and the Co-op in Laxfield along with little notes if you'd like to give us some words of encouragement and let us know if you've sponsored us so we can thank you.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and a massive thank you for any contributions and support we receive. We will be splitting any money raised between the three charities mentioned above.

Rach’s Army