Hitting my 49th birthday last September was a bit of a wake up call. Whilst I could be proud of my two children (now adults) and for having worked hard to develop my career, I found myself feeling guilty that I hadn't been living life to the full and to be frank I had also let myself go somewhat. We only have one life and all too often lives are cut tragically short. It hit home that we owe it to ourselves and those not so lucky, to make more of the lives we do have and to grasp the opportunities we are given. This became painfully clear to me when watching the heartbreak of my son and daughter who both lost best friends in separate tragic holiday accidents. I cannot begin to imagine the pain of losing a child but unfortunately it happens. I decided therefore that it was not only time to start living my life hence the creation of my bucket list, but it was also time to give myself an ultimate challenge and give something back to help others not so fortunate. 

I have therefore chosen to support a charity that helps teens facing life threatening illnesses such as cancer. Every single day seven young people aged between the ages of 13-24 will hear the words, " You have cancer". Please stop and think about this - it's a horrific statistic especially considering cancer is the number one non accidental cause of death in teenagers.
Teens Unite Fighting Cancer is dedicated to improving the lives of young people aged 13-24, with cancer and other life limiting illnesses.
The teens I have met are truely inspirational because despite serious illness and the sad fact that some won't make it, they are trying to make the most of their lives and achieve so much to be proud of.

So for my part I will be trying to raise money to support Teens Unite by training and undertaking a 350km cycle ride across Sri Lanka in October. No easy task when I'm currently so unfit. The picture of a mountain is one that we will need to climb before cycling 77km the same day!! Those of you that know me may well think this is a challenge too far but I'm determined and it will help in my quest to look better at 50 than I did at 40! I might even end up with a peachy bum :) so please support me.

I also feel blessed that my 19 year old son Jake has decided he wants to do the challenge with me. A few words from him will be added here soon.

So for all the aforementioned reasons please visit our just giving page and sponsor us. Please also share this page. After all is there anything more heartbreaking than a young person having to face such a battle - together we can make a difference and help improve lives

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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.