I don’t know about you, but I can’t believe what’s still happening in Gaza. I feel really sad and angry watching video after video, and hearing story after story, coming out of Gaza and the West Bank, of atrocities against the Palestinian people – ordinary people who just want to get on with their lives, to work, to feed their families, to raise their children and to live. And nobody is stepping in! It’s heartbreaking and, although I feel helpless I want to do something.

You’ll know that, after Israel broke the ceasefire agreement, citizens of Gaza have again been moved from North to South – in fact, they’re being moved all over the place, to so-called ‘safe zones’, although nowhere is safe. Hospitals, schools, homes, people on foot – all being bombed and shot at.

What gets me most is the children. Some won’t even remember a time of ‘normality’ – although there’s never been anywhere near our understanding of a normal life, thanks to Israel’s control of all borders, and of all electricity, gas, water, food, medical supplies. Please remember, this didn’t start on October 7th 2023! Many won’t ever get the chance to experience life outside of a war zone, because their lives were taken too soon.

We would all do anything to protect our children, to give them the best start, to hear them laugh and watch them play. So, I’ll be doing a fundraiser for a UK charity called Hope & Play. In their words, they are an organisation dedicated to helping add hope and play to the lives of Palestinian children who are denied these most basic rights. They do this by building spaces to play, offering learning opportunities and providing trauma support to children.

I will be walking the length – 25 miles – and breadth – 6 miles – of Gaza, in my own small show of solidarity with the people of Gaza, who have to do this under unthinkable conditions. This is a total of 31 miles, so I’ll be walking from my home in Chipping to Manchester Cathedral, which should take me around 15 hours. I’m going to do this on Saturday the 3rd of May, setting off at 7am.

Please donate to my fundraiser. and, if you fancy joining me on any part of walk, please do, I’ll be glad of the company