Six in Twelve! £17,500! Am I mad? Possibly! For those of you that know me, thank you for all your support over the last seven years. Those who are new to my story, welcome and thanks for visiting my fundraising page to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support in Memory of my mum Kathleen Ann Minns. Kath died from breast cancer age 47 on June 10th 1996. I also dedicate these six challenges again to the increasing numbers of friends and family who have lived with or, who are living with and beyond cancer today. Macmillan currently reach three in every four people living with Cancer, in the next five years that is expected to be 1 in 2. We need to and want to reach everybody, No One Should Face Cancer Alone. Without fundraising and voluntary donations, Macmillan’s services would not exist to provide the vital support and services needed when dealing with the toughest fight most people will ever face.

Six in Twelve? Six challenges in twelve months, one from each challenge discipline. Starting with the Virgin London Marathon on April 26th 2015 then culminating with Everest Base Camp in March 2016. In-between I will be taking part in the Great North Swim 13th June,  the London to Paris cycle 1st - 5th July, Yorkshire Three Peaks 1st August and trekking through the heart of Cambodia to the lost city metropolis Angkor Wat November 2015.

The target for this epic 12 month eclectic mix of challenges is £17,500, my highest target to date. These individual challenges will allow me to reach £47,000, and even hopefully £60,000 for the 20th anniversary of my mums death on June 10th 2016.

£47,000 target smashed May 22nd 2015. NEW target for June 10th 2016 £60,000. Amount to reach £23,700. Thank you everyone who has donated over the last 7 years of fundraising and 6 years of mad challenges. The money raised so far would pay for a Macmillan Nurse for a whole YEAR! Thanks again. 

16, 28, 33, 45, 47, 51, 53, 63, 88, the ages of all the people I know who have been affected by cancer, average age 47. I wish I could say I was good at maths to say I could have worked that out, but I'm not. 47 is the age my mum Kathleen Ann was when she died of breast cancer in 1996. Macmillan Cancer Support has been a part of my life now for the last 26 years and I am sure they will be for the rest of my life in some capacity.

Over the last six years I’ve experienced some life changing opportunities I could never have imagined and met the most incredible and inspiring people with stories that will break and warm the heart in equal measure.

The story so far

2009 saw myself leavening the comfort of my own home for South America. This challenge changed my life forever. While away trekking the Inca Trail to the Lost City of Machu Picchu in Peru I discovered things about myself that I never knew existed, pushing my comfort levels to the maximum, mentally and physically. The sense of achievement and peace made me realise that prior to this trip I was bogged down with work and had been dwelling on small, comparatively unimportant things. The trek helped me discover who I really was and what I could be and achieve for others, rather than a life obsessed with selfish wants. This new mind set has see me take on six challenges over five years.

2009- I trekked the Inca Trial in Peru to the lost city of Machu Picchu for what would have been my mum’s 60th birthday year. 

January 25th 2011- I reached 5895m above sea level at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. 

November 2011- with 42 other people I trekked the ancient Bedouin trails of Jordan from Dana to the Lost City of Petra. 

September 2012- again with 40 + people I walked a section of the Great Wall of China.

March 2013- with an incredible bunch of inspirational people, walked coast to coast in Cuba from Havana to Trinidad.

September 2014- saw me with 31 incredibly determined people, taking on Macmillan's toughest challenge to date, the Moroccan Three Peaks, summating the three highest summits in North Africa's Atlas Mountains.

After my first challenge and meeting so many inspirational people and hearing their stories, I returned to the UK; set a target to raise £20,000 by June 10 2016 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of mum dying; a large, but very achievable, amount. Much to my amazement this target was achieved on July 24 2012, four years ahead of schedule. This was the night before one of the incredible opportunities I have found myself in over the six years. I was very privileged and honoured to have been selected to be one of the 8,000 people to carry the Olympic Torch for London 2012 for my services as a volunteer with Macmillan Cancer Support.

Achieving this fundraising milestone made me realise again how many people cancer touches and how many people relay on the support and services that Macmillan provide; a vital support network that if all fundraising and donations stopped today, Macmillan would cease to exist within two months. This is due to the fact we use the money as and when it comes in, where and when people needed it, supporting and improving the lives of the 2.5 million people living with and beyond cancer in the UK today.

July 2012 saw the target raise to £47,000; again a target to commemorate the 20th anniversary of mum dying as this was her age on that fateful day.. Once again I was overwhelmed by the support and generosity of friends, family and strangers. This target was hit on May 22nd while holding a supermarket collection, a year before the target date. Now with 12 months to go I am raising my target to a phenomenal £60,000, an amount I could never have thought would be achievable back in 2008. Again a significant figure as mum would have been 60 in 2009 when I headed off for my first overseas challenge to trek the Inca Trail in Peru.

When I started out on this ambitious journey I had no idea that we as a family would be living with cancer again. A month after registering to take part in the six challenges in twelve months, on 23 December 2014 we found out we are once again in a position where we are utilising the services and support networks available to us from Macmillan Cancer Support. We are fortunate that we have a great support network amongst us as a family, unfortunately many people don't have this support and Macmillan currently reach three in every four people affected by cancer, we want and need to reach them all so they don't have to face this life changing disease alone. I hope that I can complete all these challenges remembering just my mum, and honouring my dad with every step and stroke.

If I have to end this epic journey remembering them both it will be a fitting tribute to two amazingly inspirational people that have shaped my life in so many ways.

These events mean the vital services provided by Macmillan can continue to improve the lives of people living with and beyond cancer in the UK today!! 

Thanks to our loyal and committed supporters 98% of our income comes from voluntary donations and fundraising so we take care to manage our money wisely. If all fundraising and donations stopped, Macmillan would only last two months, money is used instantly where and when it is needed throughout the UK improving the lives of people at whatever stage of their cancer journey.

Macmillan aim to reach everyone affected by cancer, that is 1 in 3 of us! 

No One Should Face Cancer Alone, 23% of people diagnosed with cancer in the UK will lack support from family or friends during their treatment and recovery — that represents more than 70,000 newly diagnosed people each year. 58% of those who lack support during their treatment and recovery say it’s because their family and friends are too busy to help or live too far away.

Macmillan are here to help you have more of the good days. 

For cancer support at home call free on

0808 808 00 00 (monday - friday 9am - 8pm)

or visit macmillan.org.uk anytime. 

Please sponsor me, as much as you can afford, WE can all make a difference, WE are all Macmillan.

Many thanks for your support.

Phil x 

How the money raised will help

£10  could pay for 19 copies of The Cancer Guide. This Macmillan booklet can help someone recently diagnosed with cancer, and their families, understand more about cancer, its treatment, and the help available.

£100  could pay for a Macmillan Grant that buys fresh bed linen for a person affected by cancer who is dealing  with nausea, night sweats or incontinence because of their treatment.

£1,014  could pay for a Macmillan Nurse for a week, helping people living with cancer and their families receive essential medical, practical and emotional support.

£3,917     could pay for a Macmillan Family Support Worker for a month. They work with community and social services agencies to help people manage the social and practical problems of living with cancer.

£12,115   could operate our telephone service for a day, allowing our cancer support specialists to answer 329 calls and emails from people who want questions answered, need practical or financial support, or just want to chat.

£14,250   could pay for five Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Officers for a month. This would mean more people affected by cancer would have someone to answer their questions and talk to about their concerns. 

£24,666  could help run a large Macmillan information centre for two months.  A visit to a cancer information and support centre provides people affected by cancer with the chance to ask questions and talk through their concerns with specialist staff and trained volunteers. The centres hold booklets and leaflets about cancer and information on financial support. Many centres have benefits advisers available to help and some offer complementary therapies too. 

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