In October 2023 my then 6-year old son, Jack, was diagnosed with Leukaemia; being a very fit and healthy little boy, this was a massive shock to our family and friends and began our 2+ year journey of cancer care under the specialist watch of Alderhey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.

In 2024 I took part in the UTMB Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 25k event. I’d signed up for it before Jacks diagnosis as a ‘bit of fun’, and for months after I was unsure if I could commit to actually doing it. However I found the training helped support my mental wellbeing, it gave me something to focus on and time away for myself to gather my thoughts and provide me with the strength needed to focus on Jack during his, at times, brutal treatment and recovery. It was a big challenge for me and a great opportunity to raise funds for Alderhey Children’s hospital that have and continue to provide excellent support to us all.

Fast forward 18 months and Jack’s doing brilliantly and set to ring the bell for the end of treatment in November 2025.

For me, I caught the trail running (ish) bug; I love the mountains and particularly Snowdonia so on the 17th May I’m taking on the UTMB Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 55k. This is a tough mountain course taking in 2 ascents of Snowdon and totalling c3,500 metres of elevation across a 55km course (11,483ft over 34 miles for the old school).

It’s taken me a while to decide if I should do this for charity; anyone wishing to sponsor me should be aware that there is a real possibility I won’t finish the course. This is ‘a proper’ event, with elite athletes expected to finish the course in around 6 hours. If I’m lucky and don’t die / get lost/ fall off a cliff, I hope to stagger over the finish line just before the 14-hour cut off.

With the extreme nature of the course, it provides a great opportunity to try to raise funds for 2 causes that have really supported us all throughout this, and continue to provide support to many other families in the local area and nationally: Alderhey Children's Hospital and Young Lives VS Cancer.

In addition, Jack is going to attempt the kids mini ultra on Friday 16th, a 2km course in Llanberis and is getting limbered up as we speak!!

Whichever charity you choose to support, me and Jack appreciate it greatly ❤️