<p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="line-height: 140%; color: #1c1c1c; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; background: white;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: &amp;quot;Arial&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I am heading into the Arctic Circle on the 20 February next year in order to raise much needed money for the Children&rsquo;s Chronic Arthritis Association (</span><a href="http://www.ccaa.org.uk/"><span style="font-family: &amp;quot;Arial&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;;">http://www.ccaa.org.uk</span></a><span style="font-family: &amp;quot;Arial&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;;">)</span><span style="font-family: &amp;quot;Arial&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I am going to attempt to dog sled over 200Km in 5 days through the wilds of Norway, the most Northern European landmass. </span></span></p> <p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; background: white;"><span style="font-family: &amp;quot;Arial&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;; color: #000000; mso-fareast-font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; background: white;"><span style="font-family: &amp;quot;Arial&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;; color: #000000;">I was diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis when I was just 16 so I know how hard it can be for the individual and the families. It affects all aspects of the children&rsquo;s lives from education to recreational activities. Unfortunately, about one in a thousand children in the United Kingdom suffer from Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; background: white;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="line-height: 140%; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: &amp;quot;Arial&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;;">&nbsp;</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">&nbsp;</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; background: white; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: &amp;quot;Arial&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The challenge will test me both physically and mentally; I&rsquo;m very aware that I am not known for my physical stamina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It will be a gruelling event where team work between (wo)man and dog can mean the difference between life and death (and that is not an exaggeration!). My task will be to take &lsquo;my&rsquo;</span><span style="font-family: &amp;quot;Arial&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;;"> team of 4-6 dogs; they will be my sole responsibility for the week, distances of up to 60km per day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; background: white; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: &amp;quot;Arial&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>This part of the Arctic is wild, not flat, so there will be far too many uphill climbs; where I will have to work with the dogs, helping them by pushing and running alongside the sled, and all this in temperatures as low as -30&ordm;C with nothing but frozen sandwiches for lunch!!&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &amp;quot;Arial&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;; mso-fareast-font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></span></p> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; background: white;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: &#39;Arial&#39;,&#39;sans-serif&#39;; mso-fareast-font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Please sponsor me as generously as possible and help me reach my target of &pound;5000!&nbsp; R</span><span style="font-family: &#39;Arial&#39;,&#39;sans-serif&#39;; mso-fareast-font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">emember to&nbsp;tick on the gift aid check box to make sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, is added to your donation (at no extra cost to you).</span><span style="font-family: &#39;Arial&#39;,&#39;sans-serif&#39;; mso-fareast-font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; background: white;"><span style="font-family: &#39;Arial&#39;,&#39;sans-serif&#39;; color: #000000; mso-fareast-font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; background: white;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &amp;quot;Arial&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Thank you&nbsp;for sponsoring me and supporting me in what will be the challenge of my life time.</span><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: &amp;quot;Arial&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;sans-serif&amp;quot;; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> Please dig as deep as you can, any donations would be gratefully received by mid December.</span></span></p> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; background: white;">&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="line-height: 140%; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many thanks x</span></span></span></p>