On the 24th January, 2018, we received the news that every parent dreads. Our beautiful, 19 year old daughter, Olivia, was suffering from Stage IV Hodgkin Lymphoma. Our world fell in. After a round of brutal IVF treatment to try to preserve her fertility, she started six months of chemotherapy on 8th March, 2018. From the minute we walked in it was obvious that we were in the hands of  the most outstanding group of professionals - from the administrative and catering staff to nurses, consultants and research people. For somewhere that deals solely with the most devastating of all diseases, the Royal Marsden is a positive and uplifting place - allowing its patients and their nearest and dearest to concentrate on being optimistic and getting better. Olivia finished her chemotherapy on 8th August, 2018 and has just passed her first 3 monthly check up and is back at university living life to the full. We were blessed to have the world-leading cancer centre of excellence on our doorstep. Because of that, I am hauling my lard from The Royal Marsden in Chelsea to the Royal Marsden in Sutton, a distance of 15 miles, on the 10th March, 2019 to try to raise a few bob for this most excellent of all causes.

The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity raises money solely to support The Royal Marsden, a world-leading cancer centre. We ensure our nurses, doctors and research teams can provide the very best care and develop life-saving treatments, which are used across the UK and around the world. From funding state-of-the-art equipment and groundbreaking research, to creating the very best patient environments, we will never stop looking for ways to improve the lives of people affected by cancer.