What a way to spend your birthday!

As a family we owe a lot to Earl Mountbatten Hospice, a wonderful place manned by amazing people, a place which just over a year ago provided love, care and compassion for the whole family as well as practical support and nursing for my father during the last year and a half of his life. The majority of the money needed to provide this invaluable service is raised through the generosity of ordinary folks and the determination of the Island population to support "their" hospice. And this year Nathan and I plan to raise some money by taking part in the "flat and slightly shorter" version of Walk the Wight - an eight mile walk. (Not the most Nathan has ever done, he assures me, but certainly more than he's ever done without complaining!). And this will be on the morning of his eleventh birthday.

Neil will be unable to join us, to his disappointment, but he will be doing his bit as part of his Work Experience will be giving him a chance to find out what it would be like to work as a nurse in the hospice as he spends a week working there.

Which brings us to your part. We need sponsors. Plenty of them. No matter how much or how little you feel able to give, perhaps you could dig into your pocket and donate it and help us reach.. or even better, exceed... our target of £100 for the work of the Earl Mountbatten Hospice in caring for people with terminal illness and their families. Every penny (cent?) will help. And you'll be helping two couch-potatoes get up off their backsides and get some serious exercise, both on the day and in preparing for it. Surely that will give you that little glow of pride that you've done a good good thing! :o)

Thanks for your support, financial and moral. Watch this space for news of our success.

WE DID IT :O)

NEIL WAS WITH US AFTER ALL, HAVING COME HOME JUST OVERNIGHT, ALTHOUGH HE WALKED WELL AHEAD OF US .... TYPICALLY HE HAD THE RUCKSACK WITH ALL THE PROVISIONS ON HIS BACK! BUT THE WALK WAS A REAL DELIGHT. FOR THE LAST MILE OUR LEGS TOLD US THAT WE WERE GLAD WE HADN'T DONE THE BIGGER WALK, BUT IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY AND THE COMPANY WAS EXCELLENT AND THE CYCLE TRACK A PLEASANT ROUTE TO WALK. WE'RE DELIGHTED AT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY RAISED SO FAR. A VERY VERY WORTHY CAUSE.