If you'd told me a year ago that I'd be trekking 100km across the Sahara Desert **and** running the London Marathon within an eek of one another. I'd have laughed. Considering I can barely run a few kilometres at the moment... it definitely wasn't on my bingo card.

Truth be told, after a glass (or two) of wine and getting swept up in the excitement, saying "yes" seemed like a brilliant idea! I was invited to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime Charity Challenge trek across the Sahara to celebrate £100 million raised for charities around the world over the last 27 years.

I was confident I wouldn't get into the marathon so I signed up for the Sahara Challenge April 2027 and then the amazing Myton offered me one of their two coveted places for the marathon on the Sunday, so here we are!!!

The 100km trek through the Sahara Desert** will take place over 5 days, crossing valleys, gorges, rocky plateaus, towering sand dunes and oases, climbing Jebel Lamrakeb, and sleeping beneath Africa's spectacular night skies.

We all know the marathon is gonna be a killer for me! Wish me luck! I'll try to do everyone proud. I know lots of people haven't got in this year so I will dig deep, and train as much as I can and not squander the opportunity!

The Why:

These challenges will test me physically and mentally in ways I've never experienced before, but they're about so much more than crossing a finish line.

I'm doing them for Craig and for Myton Hospice.

On 8th February 2024, my beautiful husband, soulmate, creative collaborator and best friend, **Craig Spivey**, sadly passed away after a long and incredibly brave battle with cancer.

During the final five weeks of his life, Craig was cared for by the extraordinary team at Myton Hospice in Warwick. The compassion, dignity, kindness and love they showed both Craig and our family during the hardest time of our lives is something I'll never forget. They didn't just care for Craig—they cared for all of us.

I know I can never truly repay what they gave us, but I hope this fundraiser is one small way of saying thank you, while helping them continue to provide that same incredible care to other families who need it.

I've **self-funded the Sahara trek**, which means **every single pound you donate will go directly to Myton Hospice**.

Whether you can donate £5 or £50, every contribution will make a genuine difference. If you're not able to donate, sharing this page would mean so much.

Thank you for supporting me as I take on what will undoubtedly be the biggest physical challenge of my life. There will probably be blisters, sore legs, plenty of tears... and I suspect I'll be questioning my life choices somewhere around mile 5 of each challenge. Eek!

Thank you. ❤️