Hi everyone! Welcome to our page and fund raiser for this
great cause!

Melissa and I have decided to undertake the challenge of the
26-mile peak district hike for Macmillan cancer support and research in July of this year. Now, we've never done anything like this before but with our experiences with cancer coming unfortunately with our immediate family we just feel that doing this will provide, even if it’s just a small amount of help to others having to go through similar situations as our loved ones.

I think this warrants a bit of background info of both
Melissa and I's experiences with this horrible disease and I'd like to start with Melissa as she keeps this very close to her.

I've never had the pleasure of meeting Melissa's mum and
that is because she is no longer with us and had passed before Melissa and I first met, from what I've been told she was a bubbly, loving, caring woman who at the young age of 42 was sadly diagnosed with lung cancer and passed away. Let’s face it, having anyone you love or know diagnosed with cancer is truly awful and a day you'll never forget but, your own mum? What followed was
months of treatment and for lack of a better word hell for Barbara, Melissa and her family. Melissa at 17yrs old took the front line in looking after her mum which, most of us could not imagine how hard that must of been. To see this woman who you looked up to, loved and thought the world of to be broken down and taken from you at 42yrs old by this horrible disease is unimaginable.....life is cruel sometimes. We speak of and remember Barbara often, Mel obviously has very fund memories of her mum and it is what has driven her to undertake the challenge not to mention, become the person and
mother of our kids she is today.

My own experience of this dreaded disease was first encountered
with my late grandad Tom Rowe. A pillar of the community and well-known gentleman in the Rawtenstall area of Rossendale. It was hard for my family and I and I'll admit back then I really didn't understand the severity of the situation or maybe I was in denial that my grandad who I spent so much time with when I was younger really was not well at all. Unfortunately due to his age it eventually got the better of him and he let go and was sadly taken from us.

Now to the present time, and I never thought I'd ever be writing this but my younger sister 'our Stacey' (as the family calls her) is undergoing her own battle. Our Stacey has been going through the past 20 Months fighting against breast cancer. She's had ups and downs along the way but, we really did think she was on the mend and the battle had been won until March of this year when Stacey attended a general check up and it was discovered her medication had not been doing what it should. The battle goes on and she is smashing every part of it from fighting the illness due to medication to the mental stress it puts on her general day to day life. Luckily she has a good foundation of support from my brother in law Kev who has taken it in his stride looking after her and is one of the best lads I know, very proud to call him my brother in law, and also from my mum, dad and brother and sisters. You know this already but you're smashing it Stacey.

To show our support from further south in the country
Melissa and I will absolutely smash this hike, the above thoughts in our heads driving us to the finish & raise a bit of money while doing so!!

Please donate what you can, times are difficult, just a small
amount all accounts to the bigger picture, thankyou!

All the best and good health to you all.

Chris & Mel x