On the 17th of May, myself and 38 other colleagues from C. Hoare and Co will be tackling the 17+ mile hike around the Vale of Ewyas Horseshoe Trek in the Brecon Beacons. This is in aid of the bank's Charity of the Quarter, Dementia Adventure.

900,000 people in the UK live with dementia: a diagnosis that often leads to isolation indoors. Dementia Adventure thinks differently about dementia. Our positive focus is on the individual, not the condition. Connection with nature has positive health benefits and can even slow down the progression of dementia symptoms. Through our holidays, training and research, we remove barriers, improve confidence, and increase opportunities for people to stay active, keep connected to family and friends, and retain a sense of adventure in their lives.

This event is also a big deal to me personally. As a lot of you know I had hip surgery last year and was off for a few months recuperating. It’s been a challenging past 12 momths, but I’ve now got myself into a position where I feel comfortable taking on something like this. However, it is an order of magnitude more intense than anything I’ve done for the last 3 years, so there is some trepidation. If I don’t make it back then it's been a pleasure knowing you all :-D