When I was asked if I wanted to abseil down the Spinnaker tower in Portsmouth obviously my answer was a very polite no! After all, the tower is 560 ft and I am terrified of heights - seemed like a no brainier. But when my sister explained that it was to raise money for the neonatal unit in Portsmouth through the charity Ickle Pickles then, despite my anxieties, I had to say yes.

You see this is a charity very close to my heart. In 2009, my sister developed severe preeclampsia whilst pregnant with twin boys. After being rushed to hospital the twins had to be delivered by emergency c-section at just 25 weeks gestation. 

Although small, both boys, Owen and Lucas, survived delivery and were rushed to the Portsmouth neonatal unit. After 3 months Owen was finally well enough and big enough to come home. However Lucas, who was born much smaller and suffered many complications, sadly passed away after almost nine months on the unit. All of the staff there were truly amazing and did everything they could for my family during that horrendous time.

So I am determined to do this abseil despite my personal fears and raise as much money as I can for these precious little babies and their families.