I am deeply honoured and privileged to have this fantastic opportunity to raise crucial funds for a charity which is close to my heart. Trekstock seek to redefine what life looks like for young people in their 20s and 30s who are living alongside cancer.

There’s never a great time to receive a cancer diagnosis but it can be particularly challenging for young people. Too old for children wards, but now the youngest on the wards. All of this whilst navigating the start of their adult life, work, careers, family. The impact? They're left without support recognising their unique needs, leaving them lost and isolated.

For the past 15 years Trekstock has been the only charity in the UK that helps this group navigate life through, and beyond an experience that doesn’t stop when treatment ends. Trekstock provides support, resources and services to help across all of life’s pressures.

I have been supporting Trekstock since the late 00s through the secret gigs they put on, merch for good and through donation. While supporting the cause I could never have imagined that I would be the one accessing the resources. In 2024 after what should have been some routine checks I ended up being screened for potential Bowel Cancer and ultimately having a minor operation to remove a number of growths. Whilst I was very fortunate that my situation is now just to be monitored I experienced first hand what it felt like to be the young person on the unit, feeling lost and without much sense of what was going on. Most of the patients were much older and when the word cancer was used it hit me like a ton of bricks. I found it very difficult to talk to anyone, none of my peers had gone through similar and it was a difficult to know how to engage with my friends, colleagues and family.

The support of the resources available from Trekstock made that a whole lot easier though. I know I’m incredibly lucky with how things turned out but the experience gave me a peak behind the curtain and showed me just how important Trekstock is.

I am so honoured to be able to raise money for such an amazing charity by taking on the challenge of the London Marathon. Although I’m already a keen runner this will be my first 26.2mile endeavour. I’ll be doing lots of events in the time between now and then too so please do donate if you can.

Keep your eyes open for other fundraising initiatives too. Thank you in advance for any kind donation it means an awful lot to me and will definitely be making a difference.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.