For three years Alex Lambe and I stood at the school gates, practically side by side, without really getting to know each other - to me she was just another 'school mum'. But then in the summer of 2014, I stumbled across Alex’s Justgiving page for the Great North Run. 

On it she wrote with stark honesty about what it was like to lose her mum, Carole, to Motor Neurone Disease, a progressive illness that attacks the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. She and her sister Victoria - who were both just in their early 20s at the time - had to watch their precious mother become slowly trapped in her own body, eventually passing away on Christmas Eve, 2001. I couldn't even begin to imagine what that must have been like.

Alex also wrote about her regret that their beloved mum never got to meet her beautiful children, Evan and Isla, or see her marry Declan. She added that she still missed her mum every single day. 

Reading those words, I knew Alex wasn't just another school mum. She was an amazing woman who had been through far too much and we've since gone on to become really good friends. So much so, that when she asked me if I fancied taking on the 3 Peaks Challenge with her, climbing three mountains in just 24 hours  - yes, really -  I jumped at the chance. And now we have a team that includes Victoria and some other amazing school mums.

We all know it's going to be hard and beyond emotional, but we want to do it so we can help try and stop this awful, heartbreaking disease from destroying further families.

Please do donate what you can, it really will make a difference. 

The MND Association is the only national charity in England, Wales and Northern Ireland dedicated to improve care and support for people affected by MND . 

Thank you again - and wish us luck! xx