I will be hiking the West Highland Way and Ben Nevis to raise money for Marie Curie Chelmsford. The West Highland Way is a 154km route from just outside of Glasgow to Fort William at the base of Ben Nevis. I will be hiking and wild camping along the Way for 8 days before ascending Ben Nevis once I have finished the Way. I will be hiking from the 16-24 April.

I have chosen Chelmsford Marie Curie in particular in memory of my Mum, Rachel Penny. She was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (aggressive cancerous tumour in the brain) in the summer of 2015, when I was 14 and passed away in December 2017, when I was 17. Marie Curie were a valuable help to her and the whole of our family through this period, offering vital at home nursing visits and other forms of support for the family. Marie Curie Chelmsford was also my parents chosen charity for their own fundraising efforts before all this happened and they both spent many hours dressed up in daffodil hats doing their bit. I now want to do my bit to support a charity that has done so much for my family and so many others.

Marie Curie provides care and support for people living with any terminal illness across the UK. Our nurses work night and day in peoples homes and our hospices offer specialist care. We also support people emotionally, provide practical information, and match them with trained volunteers.