On the 24^th June 2023 I will be taking part in the Cotswold Way Ultra Challenge to help raise money and awareness for the amazing charity, Action for M.E.  The Ultra Challenge is a 100Km walk which I aim to complete in one go, walking through the day and night to get to the finish line! (hopefully as close to 24 hours as possible!).

Why am I doing this? 

As many of you may know (some not), the charity I’m representing is very close to my heart. My partner, Josh, has suffered with M.E. for 13 years.  Every day I see the struggle he goes through, physically, emotionally, and most often in complete silence.

What is M.E.?

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) is a long-term (chronic), fluctuating, neurological condition that causes symptoms affecting many body systems, more commonly the nervous and immune systems. M.E. affects an estimated 250,000 people in the UK, and around 17 million people worldwide, although it is believed that there will be an increase in M.E. diagnoses due to Long Covid.  People with M.E. experience debilitating pain, fatigue and a range of other symptoms associated with post-exertional malaise, the body and brain’s inability to recover after expending even small amounts of energy.  1 in 4 people with M.E. are severely affected, leaving them bed or house-bound.

Why do we need your help? 

Action for M.E. work to end the ignorance, injustice and neglect experienced by people with M.E. They provide a lifeline of support to thousands of people each year, campaign to raise awareness of M.E. and work to encourage more high-quality biomedical research.  Alongside providing targeted information, support and advice to children, young people and adults with M.E. Action for M.E. offer peer-support services that reduce the isolation that so often comes with M.E. They work closely with professionals and policy-makers to improve access to appropriate care and support services, and collaborate with scientists, patients and clinicians to move biomedical research forward, including funding PhD studentships and coleading DecodeME, the world's largest M.E. DNA study.

This is where you come in! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE help in any way you can. Every little donation counts or even just sharing the page with your friends and family. The more awareness this illness gets, regardless of my own fundraising, the better. It really does help

Thanks so much, Gem x