Thank you to everyone who supported me last year - together we raised over £1,099 for Meeting Needs, and it made a real difference.

This year, I want to push a little harder. Fundraising gets tougher each year, so I’ve set myself a new challenge alongside an old favourite:

- My first ever skydive - 13,000 feet (4,000 meters), tandem, near Peterborough this August.

- The Royal Parks Half Marathon (13 miles/ 21km) in October.

The skydive is genuinely new territory for me I’m not someone who loves heights, so throwing myself out of a plane is as much about facing a personal fear as it is about fundraising. There’s an added layer too: I live with glaucoma, which adds its own pressure to a challenge that’s already well outside my comfort zone. But that’s kind of the point, pushing past what feels manageable for a cause worth it.

Then, a few weeks later, I’ll be back on solid ground for Royal Parks Half Marathon a very different kind of challenge.

I’m covering all the skydive costs myself, which means every single penny raised goes straight to charity. No deductions, no admin costs, full transparency on where your money goes.

Why Meeting Needs?

After almost two decades in the travel and events industry, I’ve seen how generous this community can be. Meeting Needs channels that generosity to the people doing the real, on-the-ground work practical, immediate, amazing people projects that don’t always make headlines.

Here’s where some of your donations went last year:

🇬🇧 Colchester - £2,500 to support domestic abuse survivors

🇬🇧 East Midlands - £5,000 to Edgar’s Gift, supporting young adults with cancer

🇬🇧 Aldershot - £5,000 to Community Grub Hub, feeding struggling families

🇬🇭 Ghana -£5,000 for a children’s welfare project

🇰🇪 Kenya - £5,000 to build a chemistry lab at Taru Secondary School

🇲🇼 Malawi - £4,000 to build a community library through Luc’s Libraries

£26,500 in total, split almost evenly between the UK and international projects proof that a relatively small amount can go a very long way.

What your donation could fund this year:

£50 - reading and education support for 5 children

£100 - a day of inclusive activities for a family with additional needs

£500 - emergency healthcare for a community of 700

£5,000 - a full grant, such as counselling for 60 survivors of trafficking

My goal is to raise £1,000 by 1 November — matching last year, hopefully a bit more.

No donation is too small. Every pound helps, and this year, thanks to self-funding the jump, every pound goes further than ever.

If you can, please consider sponsoring me — link to my page.