Inspired by the Everest at Home challenge, I have decided to walk the distance from Lukla (The gateway to Everest) to Everest Base Camp using my garden. I've given myself 99 days, starting from VE Day on 8th May, to 15th August, VJ Day. 

At 84 years old, and with a slight disability, the height was too much for me to tackle, but with support from my daughters I hope to walk the equivalent distance of 65 km (40 miles) to fundraise for the work of The Gurkha Welfare Trust. If Capt. Tom can do it, 15 years older than me I should give it a good go.

This year with help from some friends and fellow supporters, we had plans for lots of curry lunches and even a Garden Party in my area, to show our support which we can't do now. Instead, I hope you will help me reach my target for our Gurkha veterans by sponsoring me on my walk.

I support GWT for many reasons, two are uppermost in my mind, their devotion to the Crown for over 200 years and my father's late brother Cyril owed his life to them for an incident in Burma during the second World War.

I am doing this for those elderly Gurkhas in Nepal and widows as we must give them all the help we can.

For more information on The Gurkha Welfare Trust, including how COVID-19 is impacting our work, please see www.gwt.org.uk/covid. 

The Trust ensures that Gurkha veterans, their widows and their wider communities are able to live with dignity in Nepal, through the provision of financial, medical and community aid.