Thanks for popping by to visit my JustGiving page.

Two years ago, I was about to walk the first stage of the Camino de  de Norte, from Irun to Bilbao to raise money for York Against Cancer. Then COVID happened and the trip was postponed. 

I am hugely grateful for donations made at the time and I have now found a window of opportunity to do the walk. Its going to be a gruelling 7 days walking 25km a day. I plan to be walking from the 29th to the 5th May.

Without going into too much detail at the start of 2018 my partner at the time discovered a lump in her breast and it was cancer. The journey our family went on affected everything in our lives; I'm glad to say she is still clear of it. I am so grateful for the kindness of friends, employers, strangers and the amazing NHS staff. York Against Cancer gave our family some respite at a coastal town during a difficult time and it was really special and needed. I'm especially grateful to Escrick primary school and Fulford school for really giving such amazing care and support for my daughters.

Since all of this, I have talked to other people who have either had cancer or had loved ones who had cancer - everyone is mentally scarred and changed in some way from the experience. It is a journey - and it can cause change in our lives and that can be difficult, but this is where its important to be resilient. Easier said than done.

Hiking on the Camino is a pilgrimage. The route I am taking is on the Camino del Norte, along the north coast.  I'd like to do the whole Camino all the way to Santiago and may continue to do the next stage another year. 

If I can use this as to fundraise for York Against Cancer then that must be a good thing. Someone with cancer or in recovery will benefit from their care and support. Please give a few pounds to this great local charity.

If you or anyone you know is experiencing cancer - there are so many who do - please encourage them and their families to get counselling as early as they can for support throughout the whole process and after.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.