Thank you for visiting my JustGiving page.

On Friday 3 July, I’ll be taking on the 20 mile Big Walk in support of lung disease research at the University of Sheffield.

Fundraising will help to move safe lung scanning technology from the lab into the hands of doctors caring for children with lung conditions such as cystic fibrosis and asthma, and for premature babies who can't safely be scanned using standard technology.

In 2021 I suffered a spontaneous brain haemorrhage and was hospitalised for 6 months. I have had to learn how to walk and speak again, and everyone who knows me will know that getting back on my bike again has been a huge part of my recovery.

However WALKING is a different matter and not my natural comfort zone. I walk with a stick and still have some loss of function down my right side and am visually impaired. I'm in training and I'm up to 4 miles so far but the 20 mile route over some tough ground will be a huge challenge and require lots of preparation to build to this distance. I'll be walking for around 10 hours and expecting to find it far tougher than my LEJOG bike ride.

I have permission from the organisers to have a mountain bike on standby for the Burbage/Houndkirk section should my leg pack in and I'm in danger of missing the cut-off. However, this is just a contingency and I'm planning to walk the full way if possible.

Sponsoring me will raise money for a great cause. If you are able to donate, even if it's just a few pounds then together we can make a big difference. Also if you want to join me for a training walk, or cheer me on on the day that would mean a lot too.

many thanks

John