On 5 August 2015 I was 49.  In less  than a year I'll be 50 and I still  haven’t decided what I want to do when I grow up.  It turns out John Lennon was right when he said  “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans”.   So I decided it was time to grab life by both hands and complete 50 challenges by my fiftieth birthday. 

When I was kid I believed I could fix the world (thanks for that one Mam) but although I know that isn’t true I still believe I can make a difference because we all can if we try.  Some of my challenges are things I always dreamed I'd do and others are just plain crazy but many of them are about making a difference.  This might be a difference to friends or family or to people I've never met but top of the list is to raise £5,000 for charity in on  year.  And if I can do that while completing some of my other challenges then all the better.  So I'm going to zip wire off the Tyne Bridge, Swim with Sharks and Walk on Fire but I'm also going to go Dancing in the Rain and Get a Tattoo and all to raise funds for the Charlie Cookson Foundation.

I heard about the Charlie Cookson Foundation quite a while ago and the story of both Charlie and his parents touched my heart.  My own mother lost a daughter who was just 17 and I always thought my Mam was the most amazing woman in the world to have coped while taking care of three other children.  As a mother and grandmother myself I can't begin to imagine how you would cope if you lost a child, never mind one as young as Charlie.  By doing so much to support families with seriously ill children Sarah and Christopher Cookson are not only helping others but making sure their son will never be forgotten.  They are truly inspirational and that is why I decided to raise money for the Charlie Cookson Foundation. 

Want to help?  Then why not take a look at my webpage www.5iftyby5ifty.com and join me in some of my challenges.  And if there's nothing on my list you fancy doing then why not take your own challenge, organise your own event to raise fund or just donate through this page.

Thank you for your support.