On Saturday 28th July I walked across Morecambe Bay, along with almost 100 others, to raise money for Diabetes UK. I don't remember ever seeking sponsorship from my friends before, but with my brother, my sister, my mother and three of my four late grandparents all being diabetic, this cause is fairly close to home. I guess you probably all know people who are diabetic as well as it's a disease that affects so many people in this country.

Now, I'm not exactly doing this the right way round as I've already done the walk but at least it gives me the opportunity to tell you what I managed to complete in order to earn your generous donations!

To be honest, I was expecting a pleasant walk across the sand in the July sunshine, perhaps having to wade across a couple of streams or similar. In reality, we'd only gone 50 yards from the promenade when the violent hail storm began, setting the tone for the next 5 hours. Once dressed in full waterproofs to cover the shorts and T-shirt, it never occurred to me to remove them until we were back in Grange over Sands, 10 miles later. Thank goodness we took them, it was only an afterthought!

We had a guide (to lead us round the quick sands and the deep gullies), two quad bikes and two tractors (to rescue us when we did) for support and I now fully appreciate that we would never have managed the crossing on our own. Quite a few people turned back in the first 10 minutes and others were tractored off the beach as the day went on, but I made it to the other side alive and well. As you can see from the pictures, it was wet all the way, although I just managed to keep my underwear dry! I met people who had done the crossing over a dozen times, but I think once will be enough for me so if you want to give, give now - there won't be another chance!

Thank you in anticipation of your support - there are more pictures of my companions on my Facebook page which you can see by following the link below.

Please give generously.

Neil