A strange picture to post for a Sahara desert trek but, yes, Antarctica is technically a desert albeit a polar one! At the end of a 36 year career in the Royal Navy, I was lucky enough to spend some time there. Three years later, I now have the chance to trek the Sahara desert in October as part of a small team raising funds for Aggie’s.

It is also a privilege to serve as the Chair of Trustees for Aggie’s and I have seen first hand the difference our wonderful pastoral and community workers make on a daily basis, not forgetting "Storybook Waves" which connects families across the oceans at bed time.

Through a wide range of activities, Aggie's pastoral and community workers are on hand to listen to the needs of sailors, marines, members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and their families. By supporting personnel in training; those experiencing stress; others weighed down by family, financial, or practical issues; or helping families during testing times (particularly during lengthy or short notice deployments), Aggie’s has faithfully walked alongside the Naval Family for 150 years. We are truly blessed to have so many amazing staff working and volunteering for Dame Agnes Weston's and who are a credit to her memory.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I will be covering all of the costs of the trek, so all of your donations will go to Aggie’s. It costs around £28 to provide an hour of Aggie's pastoral worker's time. A suggested donation of £22.50 plus gift aid would pay for that hour and will make a difference to the lives of our Naval Family.

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.

Let the adventure begin!