Hello there!

Thank you very much for visiting my page, and an even BIGGER thanks should you choose to donate!

My friend and I will be walking all 67 miles of coastal path around the Isle of Wight in May, taking three days to get round the whole island. I felt that this was a great opportunity to also raise money and awareness for an excellent charity, Crohn's and Colitis UK.

Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis are the main forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). They are relatively common diseases but not widely discussed due to their embarrassing and awkward symptoms. Sufferers can go for extended periods with diarrhoea, vomiting, extreme pain, bleeding from the gut, and fatigue to name but a few of the problems these diseases cause. The cause is unknown although genetic and environmental factors are believed to play a part, and there is currently no cure so they are life-long conditions.

That said, a lot of research is being done to look at the causes and potential treatments for these often debilitating illnesses. I have the honour of working in a great team in Southampton alongside some of the country's leading IBD specialists.

Crohn's and Colitis UK not only fund IBD research, but also support the lives of those who have been devastated by their disease, and they also raise awareness in order to make the lives of sufferers easier to bear.

My hat goes off to those who fight with their IBD on a daily basis; I don't know that I would handle it very well if I had a severe course of it!

Any amount of money that you can spare for my walk around the island would be greatly appreciated by Crohn's and Colitis UK and it'll make my aching knees and feet determined to keep going, come rain or shine!

Thank you!

(The write up of this adventure will be on my blog at www.fun-gal-caching.blogspot.com)