From 15 to 21 February, Francis, Sarah, Josie and Ginny Kucera will take on the 6 day Global Limits Sao Tome ultra marathon.

Fran (with his 2 newly replaced knees!) will walk 120km and the female team aim to run the 200km course. With temperatures in the 30s and 80% humidity, we hope to tackle the course through jungle, beaches and coffee plantations to finish on the equator. We will stay in tents or under mosquito nets on the floor of communal buildings. We take our own food with us with only water available at camps and no cooking and very basic washing facilities.

By taking on this challenge, we hope to raise funds for a charity close to our hearts - The Joshua Hayday Helping Hand Trust - www.joshuahaydaytrust.org.

The JHHHT was set up by our good friends Nick and Katie Hayday in memory of their son who was born with life-limiting conditions and died at one year old. The circumstances of Josh’s short life were very similar to those of our second child, Charlie, who was born with life-limiting conditions back in December 2000 and died at four and a half months. One hears about these things but they are not ‘one in a million’, they happen far more frequently than that.

When we were in our hour of need, we had love and support from friends and family and, importantly, financial means to help us through. Many people in similar circumstances do not. The JHHHT looks to provide help and assistance to parents in need and to institutions that provide assistance to parents and children in similar circumstances. Whether it be the cost of a respite nurse so the parents can have an evening’s rest or the funds for taxi fares to multiple hospital appointments, the JHHHT looks to make small contributions that make massive differences.

Your small contribution will make a massive difference. Your £10 will make it easier to get to a hospital appointment. Your £100 will help to get a nurse in for the night.

Thank you.