Have you ever heard of Prolymphocytic leukaemia?

Not many people have as it is incredibly rare (it makes up less than 1% of chronic leukaemias) and is sadly what my brilliant dad died of in 2010 after a fiercesome fight, aged just 66.

The funds that I raise in Dad's memory will enable the staff at Musgrove to help make life easier for the incredible people who spend time with them and for Blood Cancer UK to carry out their vital research and help people right now. If you are able to join us and support these amazing people and donate anything at all it will really help these brilliant causes.

My dad (Kit Barrington) was well known for his sporting prowess; he played rugby, squash, golf and cricket, where he scored over 12,000 runs for Bridgwater Cricket Club. He was a fighter and loved a challenge so despite having PLL he carried on playing and working and succeeded in fighting this insidious disease, for more than ten years, with the help and support of the amazing, compassionate staff at Ward Nine - he was their “miracle”.

However terrifying the Cancer word is it didn't mean the end of fun for Dad as I am sure his family, friends and colleagues would agree.

So in memory of Dad a challenge was needed and the South West Coast path at 630 miles, and the equivalent of climbing Everest four times, seemed a good choice - particularly if you are like me scared of heights! I thought I could do it in a year but me and my trusty hound Luna are still walking, clambering, running (occasionally) and crawling, at times, the South West Coast path to raise money for Ward Nine at Musgrove Park Hospital and to find a cure for cancer by supporting the great work Blood Cancer UK are doing.

We will never ever forget the staff at Ward 9 (Musgrove Park Hospital) for their kindness, compassion and care of Dad - and us all. They are so dedicated and just superstars.

Caren Attree who is the Lead Cancer Nurse & Matron at Musgrove told me "We continue to be amazed by the generosity of relatives of the patients we have cared for, even after so many years have passed. We understand the impact a cancer diagnosis has on every patient and the effect on the whole family – we try and welcome them into our Ward 9 family for however long their treatment lasts which could be many years and we have had the privilege of building some fantastic relationships with both patients and their families. All donations go towards making our patients feel safe within an environment as close to home as we can make it. Although for Kit, we couldn’t provide a cricket pitch outside his window!"

Rhia Stankovic, Regional Relationship Manager at Blood Cancer UK said, “We’re grateful to Nell for choosing to raise money for Blood Cancer UK in memory of her father. Blood Cancer UK are currently funding 90 research projects that are looking to find new ways to treat and manage blood cancer, including projects trying to improve treatments for leukaemia, the type of blood cancer Nell’s dad sadly passed away from. With help of people like Nell, we hope that we’ll beat blood cancer within a generation."

We have many miles and feet left to clamber and want to raise another £1000. We must have gone wrong in some places as by the end will have done more than 700 miles! You can see our adventures here www.firsttimeto.co.uk.

Thank you for your support.

Nell and Luna 😍