In a visit to the Peak District 8 years ago I decided to challenge myself to face some of my physical and mental obstacles. As the first step in a year of walking I walked the Turks Head 10K in Twickenham in June 2018 (and also repeated this in June 2019). When I talked about entering the race, a few friends asked me if they could 'sponsor' me. So I chose to support Steps - who provide information and support for people who've been affected by childhood lower leg conditions, like me - I want to raise £2000 for Steps Charity.

It's plain to see that I walk a bit differently. I was born with quite severe Developmental Dysplasia of the Hips (DDH). In plain English this means that my hip joints didn’t form properly before I was born.Walking is not something I do with ease or speed. Yet I'm slowly learning that we often create our own limitations, and I wanted to challenge mine.

I've launched a blog called diff-abled.co.uk to share my challenges as I walked a national trail. I completed 100 miles of the South Downs Way between October 2018 and 2019. In June 2021 I completed a 2.5km swimathon called the Hip Dip.

In 2021/2022, I used my daily 'lockdown' walks locally to complete 268 miles of a virtual Pennine Way. During the year my walking severely worsened; and it turned out I needed a knee replacement on the opposite leg to my hip replacement. So in January 2022 I became that bit more bionic! Whilst my new knee is stronger, I now require walking sticks day to day. In June 2025 I'll be having a full hip revision surgery of the original hip replacement.

For the most regular updates you can follow the blog on Facebook @WalkingJill

Thanks to everyone who's supported me so far on this journey. Every small donation adds up to a lot of support for Steps Charity - just like every short walk can add up to a lot of miles!