Thank you so much for sparing a few minutes to look at my donation page.  Please have a little read below to see why its important to me that I set up this page.

This year I will be tackling various tough challenges to try and raise a little money for The SEED Project.  

The next event in my calendar is the Yeovil marathon on June 12th.  This will only be the second official marathon that I have ever entered.  I get this ridiculous anxiety when I enter races so I generally don't do it.  This will be a challenge for me to overcome my nerves and a physical task too.

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In March/April I completed one of the most challenging and demanding expeditions that I have taken on so far.  When I set out on the Australian Alpine Walking Track I hoped that it would push me to discover more about myself but I never expected it to push me quite so far.  I have been both physically and mentally tested over the 24 days that I was in the wild.  

The extreme contrast in weather conditions, the steep constant mountain climbs, the rough terrain, clambering under and over fallen trees, the wind and rain, the minus temperature sleepless nights, all added up to my body dropping in weight by 5.5kgs.  I have returned from this journey the lightest that I have ever been in my adult life.  Hopefully you have seen some of the video clips that I have shared on my Facebook page and you can see some of the struggles that I faced, if not, please take a look and enjoy my suffering!

As I didn't expect this trek to challenge me quite so much, I didn't set up a donation page in advance, but as the days went on and I struggled harder and harder, I wished that I could use my personal challenges to help others that struggle on a daily basis.  So, on my return I have now set up this donation page.  I am raising money for the SEED Project in Zimbabwe which is very close to my heart.  When I ran across Africa, Robert, who works for the charity, accompanied me almost the whole way.  This small charity is currently struggling, as is the whole country which is currently facing the worst drought in 15 years.  The SEED Project works with communities in Zimbabwe teaching them the skills and knowledge to be more sustainable by themselves.  They don't give hand-outs but instead work by empowering the people to create a successful environment for themselves.  In Southern Africa, a few dollars or a few pounds go a long way.

Having to walk extra kilometres to fetch water, hiking up and down mountains for things we take for granted in the developed world has shown me how lucky we are.  Many people in Zimbabwe do not have these luxuries.  Please spare a little money to make a difference to less fortunate communities.  

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