"They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

On June 19th of this year , I’ll be taking the first of roughly half a million steps as I embark on a 180-mile hike to support Derian House Children's hospice!

My Hike will take me through the French, Italian, and Swiss Alps, ultimately finishing in Annecy at the very same playground where my daughter, and 3 other children were critically hospitalised following a knife attack that took place there on June 8th 2023.

Every day since I am reminded just how lucky we are to enjoy a normal family life with our happy and healthy little girl. Yet, that realisation brings with it a heavy heart for the many families who haven't been as fortunate.

Every child deserves a fair start, a safe home, and a healthy future but for far too many, these basic rights remain a distant dream. Spending time at Derian House today was a profoundly humbling experience that highlighted just how much these children and their families deserve our support.

For this reason I’m pushing my physical limits to help ensure these children don't have to face their mountains alone. Every mile I walk is dedicated to a child in need, and every donation—no matter the size—brings us closer to changing a life.

My Journey

My Journey will begin on June 19th in the beautiful alpine town of Chamonix. Situated at the foot of Mont Blanc, Chamonix is an integral part of my story. On June 8th 2023 (The day of the attacks) my family and I were supposed to visit there. Sadly, due to a transport mix-up on my part we decided to stay in Annecy instead! That twist of fate has made Chamonix the most natural, and symbolic starting point for my Journey.

With a mountain guide and small group of fellow minded travellers I will follow the World famous Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) loop! With nothing but the rucksack on my back I will traverse the high mountain passes as we make our way through France, Italy and Switzerland. Basic mountain refuges will be my home for the next 9 Days as I hike 176km back to my starting point in Chamonix. From then on I will continue solo from Chamonix to Annecy adding a further 90km to my journey.

The total distance of my hike is comparable to walking from my hometown of Wigan all the way to London but with a total altitude gain of almost 13,000m (5 x The Everest base camp hike) I'm under no illusion about the magnitude of the challenge that lays ahead!

Aside from raising our beautiful daughter, this will be by far the biggest challenge of my life, so I'm hoping that by sharing my story I can raise as much as humanly possible for those Children who need it the most.

*The trip will be entirely funded by myself so EVERY penny donated will go directly to the cause.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has donated to this page so far! We are only a week in so I'm pretty certain we are going to smash the initial target of £1800

Rest assured every penny is going to an absolutely amazing cause!

Lots of love

Dale x

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