On 14 January 2017, myself, Katy Benneworth, Mandy Hartley and Pol Aymerich, will be undertaking a 10km 'Endurance Series' coastal trail run around the cliffs of Dover. We will be part of a larger group running to raise money for 'Eva's Angels' and to raise awareness for DIPG which, until recently, I had never heard of.

Eva is the 5 yr old daughter of my good school friend, Emma, and her husband, Dean. On 15 April 2016 she was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma. DIPG is an inoperable brainstem tumour that sits in the pons controlling breathing, swallowing, talking, and walking.  In the UK it affects 30-40 children a year, usually aged 5-9. DIPG has a 0-1% survival rate, and median survival is 9 months after diagnosis. Treatment for DIPG has not progressed in the last 50 years due to lack of research funding. Today there are a few doctors and researchers who are dedicating their careers to finding a cure.

Treatment provided by the NHS is incredibly limited. Further, privately funded, treatment options are available at a huge cost. They include a mixture of early trials and treatments in UK, mainland Europe, and America.  Some of which are showing positive results. There is hope for Eva, and the other children currently suffering this deadly disease.

Please sponsor us to complete this challenge. Whilst I'm reasonably fit, I am not a natural distance runner, so this will certainly not be an easy task for me! My running companions and I are suitably apprehensive! The trail will be gruelling at times, with steep hills, uneven rocky ground, and harsh winter conditions, but we're all determined to give it our best shot for Eva, who deserves our help and so much more.

Thank you for your generosity.