In November I am walking 50km across the Sahara with a team of 12 people I don't yet know, we are all fundraising for The Hospice of St Francis.

It will be around 40 degrees, I will be camping with no running water or electricity and we will have camels transporting our tents and food (I'm really excited to meet the camels!). I am funding my own place, so 100% of all donations go straight to The Hospice. This is my why...

In June 2020 Mum went to the doctors with a sore throat, 5 months later she had died from oesophagus cancer. This picture was taken the day after she found out when we went to visit the wild flowers, our last photo together. It was brutal and fast with none of us having a chance to get our head around what was happening before we were into the next, more horrible part of dealing with this awful disease.

We felt out of control and being covid, completely alone. Mum was scared and had no idea what to expect, until The Hospice of St Francis stepped in. The only time I saw Mum feeling remotely reassured during her horrendous treatment was once the nurses had visited and following an awful spell in hospital after she got seriously ill, I could visibly see the weight lifted off her when she was transferred to the Hospice for her final palliative care. I will never be more grateful for anything than the kind of peace they provided her during such an awful time.

I know I should be doing this Trek Sahara to raise money for The Hospice of St Francis but my motivation is to mainly say thank you to this incredible place for the humanity and empathy they bring to their patients day in, day out- it is truly run by angels and we are incredibly lucky we are to have this place near us. I hope no one I love would ever have to use here, but as I have experienced first hand, life doesn't work like that.

My other 'Why' is to remember my wonderful Mum, we were so close and I feel so lucky to have had that- she was my best friend, my business partner and I miss her company, guidance and warmth desperately every single day. I am so excited to be doing this challenge to keep her memory alive so please, please dig deep in Mum's memory and to help the Hospice of St Francis.

About the Hospice... The Hospice helps people to live their precious lives well. Our care has many forms – at home, in our outpatient Spring Centre or through specialised care in one of our Hospice beds - and is defined by each person's need. We rely on donations to raise the £6m we need each year to fund our free care. Your support is ever more important, as NHS funding covers less than 20% of our running costs.

Thank you so much for reading, and I am forever grateful for your donations. Lucy xx