This November, I'm very proud and excited to be taking part in the Co-op and Barnardo's trek to Everest Base Camp.

Events of recent of years have made 9 in 10 young people say ‘having enough money to cover basic needs’ is now an aspiration in life, over ‘achieving their dream job’ and ‘buying a house’*. Co-op and Barnardo's believe that the next generation deserve a better future, which is why Co-op colleagues are walking, running, cycling and climbing to raise £5m to support the positive futures of 750,000 young people.

As a Barnardo's employee, my place on this exciting trip is fully funded as part of the charity's responsibility to our corporate partner (Co-op). This means that every penny donated will go directly into the Co-op and Barnardo's partnership, rather than facilitating my travel or accommodation.

If you know me, you know I'm a home comforts girlie. I love drinking prosecco in the bath, reading my kindle in bed, and lying on the sofa watching Grey's Anatomy with my dog. Trekking to Everest Base Camp will be the biggest challenge of my life - and I don't just mean the lack of wifi.

Any donations that you're able to give will keep me going through -10 degree nights in teahouses, a plane trip to the world's most dangerous airport, and the relentless climb to 5,500 metres above sea level. But none of those things will be even half as difficult as growing up in poverty, in hardship, in dangerous and potentially abusive environments. The funds you donate will change children and young people's childhoods for the better. And when you change a childhood, you change a life.

Find out more: coop.co.uk/SupportYoungPeople

* Youth Opportunities Tracker: Fairer Futures, Co-op & Barnardo’s, May 2023