On 10 October, I’ll be taking on a 25 km walking challenge in Kent, following some familiar routes from the Valley Walk to Leeds Castle and from Blue Bell Hill to Mote Park, to raise money for Fragile Threads.

Fragile Threads is a project by the Royal School of Needlework, bringing together people with different experiences and backgrounds, including unpaid carers of people living with dementia, young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and neurodivergent people. Through the art of hand embroidery, participants explore their connection with the natural world and the changes taking place in the landscapes around us, particularly the loss of biodiversity and the impact of climate change.

What I particularly love about Fragile Threads is the connection between things that can easily be overlooked: the changing seasons, the plants and wildlife around us, memories of places and the stories that can be captured and passed on through hand embroidery.

Hand embroidery is an art form that belongs to everyone. It has been used to record people's lives, places and experiences for hundreds of years, and it is an art form that is itself under threat as specialist skills and opportunities to learn them become increasingly difficult to access.

Fragile Threads brings these things together – our connection to the natural world, the benefits of creativity and the need to protect the skills that allow us to record and celebrate the world around us.

So, if you are able to sponsor me, I would be incredibly grateful. Every donation will help the Royal School of Needlework continue this work and reach more people through Fragile Threads.

You can find out more about the project here: https://fragilethreads.com/

Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page and, of course, for any support you can give.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and secure. Your donation is sent directly to the charity, helping to keep the process as efficient as possible and ensuring more of your support goes towards the work itself.