🌟 Let’s Make a Difference - Together back in 2018/19, my amazing community of work colleagues, family and friends came together in a spirit of generosity and raised an incredible £36,000 for charity. It was proof of what happens when people unite for a purpose bigger than themselves.

Now, as approach my 60th birthday and nearing the end of my full-time career I’m setting my sights even higher and asking the industry that I love and have worked in for 40 years to come together, along with friends and family, to try and raise some £60,000 for three remarkable charities that change lives every day:

🧡 The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation: funding vital research to transform the lives of people living with severe allergies and working towards a world where food allergies no longer claim young lives.

🧡 Hospitality Action: standing strong for anyone in our sector who has fallen on hard times, offering comfort, support, and hope when it’s needed most.

🧡 The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB): empowering those with sight loss to live life with confidence, independence, and dignity.

These charities touch lives every single day - but they can only continue their incredible work with our generosity and our support.

🙌You can make a difference

🏃‍♀️ Get Involved:

We’re taking on a virtual race. I am planning to spend the summer in Spain, in the tiny village of Bedar, where Kate and I were lucky enough to find the home we had been searching for some 15 years, in March 2025.

The race will be from our home in the UK to Bedar - a 2,203-kilometre journey across the South-east of England, down through France crossing into Spain at San Sabastian before heading south to Valencia and then South-west to Murcia before the final leg to Bedar.

Teams are made up of 4 people. The team can be composed from friends, family or colleagues who will walk, jog, run or swim their way around the route using the MyVirtualMission app. Every step counts - literally! If you are a business, you may want to create several teams and have a bit of rivalry.

The MyVirtualMisisonApp tracks everything from your watch or phone, updating automatically overnight, using all the popular apps so you don’t need to do anything except move and ideally raise as much sponsorship from your own networks as possible. The app will also let you know who is leading and what you need to do to catch them up – it is a race after all but there is no pressure to complete the course at all – it is also meant to be a bit of fun.

We will launch the race on my big day - 20th February - with us finishing at the end of May.

To get to the finish line before 31st May, each team will need to complete approximately 18 miles per day which would mean each team member roughly completing 4.5 miles a day - the distance most of us already walk each day - making this an event everyone can join. It’s accessible, inclusive and filled with purpose. We have decided to use JustGiving as our preferred charity platform as it is secure and ensures the funds get delivered swiftly to the charities we are raising money for along with opportunities for donors to add Gift Aid too.

💷 Donate Generously:

Every single pound makes a difference. Your contribution - big or small - will go directly to these remarkable causes, changing lives and spreading hope where it’s needed most.

📣 Spread the Word:

Tell your colleagues, friends, and networks. Encourage them to donate, join in, or simply cheer us on! The more people who know, the bigger the impact we’ll make together.

🌟Let's do something extraordinary

We’ve already proven what’s possible when community comes together with heart and purpose - now let’s do it again, but bigger and better than ever.

Together, we can reach - and surpass - our £60,000 goal, leaving a lasting legacy of compassion, unity, and generosity.

Let’s show the world what happens when we leads with heart. 💪🧡

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.