Cleo is my niece. Funny, kind little Cleo, a ray of sunshine. She was 9 years old when our family was rocked by her brain tumour diagnosis (a rare GBM 4) and only 10 years old when we lost her to the cancer in March 2019. No effective treatment was available, other than palliative chemo and radiotherapy to try to buy us all some time; no cure.

The Brain Tumour Charity (TBTC) supported Cleo's family throughout her diagnosis and treatment, and are still by our side five years after our loss. We learned quickly that paediatric brain tumour research is woefully underfunded, and so Cleo's parents Jane (my little sister) and Alex set up the Team Cleo Fund to raise money for TBTC and have so far raised more than £70,000 to support research into finding a cure and better treatments.

Team Cleo is made up of family and friends doing what we can to raise money and raise awareness too. Time for me to do what I can. Last time I fundraised for #TeamCleo I climbed 8 'Wainwrights' in the Lake District in one day, a place Cleo loved to visit with us. Today, June 5th, we should be celebrating Cleo's 16th birthday. Cleo was full of life and loved adventure. So it seems just the right occasion to challenge myself to navigate Ben Nevis via the CMD Arête and ask for your sponsorship to raise as much as we can for TBTC and #TeamCleo

The CMD Arête on Ben Nevis is a legendary ridge, one of Britain’s most thrilling routes on its biggest peak. Here's some info about the challenge of scrambling up it!

https://www.livefortheoutdoors.com/routes/hiking/how-to-scramble-the-cmd-arete-ben-nevis/

The Brain Tumour Charity is the world's leading brain tumour charity and the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours globally. Committed to saving and improving lives, they're moving further, faster to help every single person affected by a brain tumour. TBTC is set on finding new treatments, offering the highest level of support and driving urgent change. And we're doing it right now. Because they understand that when you, or someone you love, is diagnosed with a brain tumour, a cure really can't wait. #TeamCleo