UPDATE: I’m honestly blown away! Thanks to everybody’s incredible generosity, we’ve already raised way beyond my £1,000 target. THANK YOU! Since you’ve all set the bar higher than I ever expected, I’m raising the target to £2,500 so we can help even more families facing meningitis 🫶

This challenge is for our daughter, who at just 6 weeks old showed us what real strength looks like.

Why I’m fundraising for Meningitis Now:

At the beginning of last year, our lives were flipped on their head.

Our youngest girl was just 6 weeks old when she fell ill. At first, it seemed like one of those things you expect with a newborn - maybe a bug, maybe a virus. We did what so many parents do: kept an eye on her, tried not to panic, tried not to be that over-worried parent.

After a couple of days, something didn’t feel right, so we took her to hospital. What followed still feels blurry, but everything went from 0 to 100 crazily fast.

Over the next two and a half weeks, Lucy and I lived through the most difficult, scary, and powerless period of our lives, trying to stay strong while our tiny little girl fought for hers. There are no words that really do justice to how helpless that feels as a parent.

Thankfully — and this will never stop feeling miraculous — she came out the other side like an absolute trooper. We don’t yet know the full extent of the impact the bacterial meningitis may have on her long term, but right now she is well, and we’re optimistic of a full recovery. I hope that one day she’ll laugh at just how much this experience shaped her mum and dad, while she stands there with no memory or evidence it ever happened!!

So this is why I’m fundraising for Meningitis Now. Because they don’t just fund vital research and vaccinations — they also provide incredible support services to families and individuals affected by meningitis, at a time when you need it most.

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The challenge

To raise money, I’ll be completing three events across 3.5 days:

27th June – A half marathon

I hate running. Anything longer than a football pitch is too far. I’ve never run further than 10km, so this feels completely unnecessary.

28th June – Turf Games

A CrossFit competition. And anyone who’s done CrossFit knows you have to be extremely dedicated and hardworking to be absolutely bang average — which is exactly what I’m aiming for.

29th–30th June – The National 3 Peaks Challenge (within 24 hours)

Because once I’m tired, sore, and broken… why not climb the three biggest, most beautiful mountains in the UK, in the dark.

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The ask

My target is £1,000.

To put that into perspective:

£50 is enough to fund one hour of professional counselling for someone affected by meningitis. Your donation will also help fund research, vaccinations, and vital awareness campaigns.

If you’re a parent, you’ll know how hard it is to get the judgement right when your child is ill — not overreacting, but also not taking unnecessary risks. My clear view now: What’s the worst that can happen by getting them checked over? (Other than the obvious 5 hours+ sitting in a waiting room…)

If this story resonates with you, please consider donating or sharing this page. Every contribution, big or small, genuinely makes a difference.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this — and for any support you’re able to give. ❤️