On the 2nd November 2024, my Mum, Christine Straughan; lost what was a very short fight with cancer. From diagnosis to the day she passed away was only 7 weeks and those 7 weeks were a rollercoaster of emotions from sadness to hope and everything in between.

Through everything she continued to be the Mum that everyone knew, her main priority being everyone else’s wellbeing and happiness.

If you know her, you’ll know that she gave years of her life to the church, the local Sunday school, volunteering at food bank and running the Norton Canes Girls Brigade company for close to 40 years.

I never really fully understood or considered the impact of all the time she gave to others, sometimes over her own dreams and for that reason I wanted to do something to remember her and that I knew what would make her proud.

So, here it is, the 12 Medals for Mum challenge, where during 2025 I will be completing 12 different organised challenges (walking, running, swimming etc.) as long as each one generates a shiny medal for her!

Although she wasn’t in Walsall Palliative Care Centre for long, the love, care and respect both she and the family were treated with will remain with me for a long time, so any money raised will go towards continuing to support the important work they do in the local community.

Thanks for reading, supporting and mostly thank you for remembering Mum and how special she was to more people than I could ever imagine.