My mother, Valerie Gravatt, died from bowel cancer at the age of fifty-five. Our son, her first grandson, was only one at the time. She never had the opportunity to know him or his sister, who was born three years later. There’s not a day when I don’t miss her. She lived a full and happy life, but it was too brief. Had she caught the cancer earlier, everything might have been so different. She was a wonderful mother and would have been a wonderful grandmother.

I’m doing the Cotswolds Mighty Hike in July 2025 in memory of her and all our friends – including Louise, our son’s Godmother who died in her thirties – whose lives were cut short by cancer. I’m seeking to raise money for people living with cancer to help them live longer and better lives. A Macmillan Nurse provides people living with cancer and their families with essential medical, practical and emotional support. Please give generously; three million people are currently living with cancer in the UK, and so the chances are you’ve been touched by it, directly or indirectly.

Thank you.