My cousin Jill and I love a challenge! In the hunt for our next one, Jill mentioned the Pure Challenge Six Dales hike in the Peak District. This involves an early start (8am), a hike through six Peak District dales (what a surprise!) with a total ascent of 1000 metres, and all within 14 hours.  You can read how our training is going in the Blogs section on my website: www.BigPictureLiving.co.uk and on Twitter @BigPictureLivin (no 'g').

Jill is a wonderfully gifted accountant with a passion for nature, the outdoors and adventure!  She loves hiking and has climbed Pen-Y-Fan, Snowdon, Ben Nevis, Yorkshire Three Peaks and is keen to take on Kilimanjaro too! 

Having turned (and still turning!) my life around - losing 10st in weight and vastly reducing my prescribed meds - I currently work as a Specialist Personal Trainer on an Exercise Referral Scheme, encouraging people with chronic health conditions to become more active, improve their quality of life, control / reduce their condition symptoms, and reduce their risk of developing comorbidities. 

Access to good medicine and facilities is something I used to take for granted here in the UK.  However, having worked on humanitarian projects and travelled extensively, I have seen for myself the devastating effect of poor medical & health facilities on human lives.  This is why we are fundraising for Doctors of the World.

Doctors of the World is an independent humanitarian movement providing vital medical care to excluded people in the UK and across the globe.  In their words "We strive to give a voice to the most marginalised, reporting on violence, injustice and unmet health needs wherever we find them.  Our vision is a world without barriers to health, where healthcare is recognised as a fundamental right. .On behalf of our medical staff and the patients you will enable us to assist, thank you for your support of our work."