UPDATE - 24 JUNE 2013

Well, I made it! I conquered Ben Nevis at 3am yesterday morning and completed the Alzheimer's Society Midnight Challenge.

It was the hardest thing I have ever done, including childbirth! Nine hours of walking over big, slippery boulders on ledges in driving wind, constant rain and at the top, snow!

It was only by focusing on the reality of why I was doing this in the first place - for dementia sufferers like my mother-in-law, Margaret, and their carers - that kept me going.

Thank you to all my friends and colleagues who sponsored me, sent good wishes, lent me stuff, trained with me and shared tales and tips from their own experiences. Your support got me up (and down, which is worse than going up, btw).

And all your donations (over £500 from me and £150,000 so far raised from the whole group of 100 walkers last night) will go towards both day care support and further drug research. As some of you know from experience, Alzheimer's is such a cruel disease but there is hope on the horizon.

It's fair to say that with the state of my feet, I won't be putting on my Jimmy Choos any time soon!

Love and big thanks to you all,

Emma x

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As most of you know, I'm not one to go without her hair straighteners or lipstick and I'm frequently to be found on the couch. So why am I trekking up Britain's highest mountain at midnight this summer?

Well, it's partly to do with turning 45 and realising I've got a good life - good job and colleagues, great friends, supportive family and above all - perfect health to be able to enjoy it. 

It's also because I know from first-hand experience, what living with a family member with dementia feels like and I want to play a small part in raising funds for research, especially as we're all living longer and the condition is on the increase.

My mother-in-law Margaret Wray has lived with dementia for many years. She receives wonderful care at her nursing home in Portsmouth. She enjoyed her life up until the disease took hold. Now, when we visit Margaret, it always hits me at how young an age the disease can strike. We see men and women in their 50s and 60s suffering from dementia at the very time in their life when they should be enjoying their retirement, playing with their grandchildren and living life to the full.

So, I'm raising money to help fund research into treatments which can prevent the onset of this cruel disease. Seeing such a clever, funny and charismatic woman like Margaret lose their personality as well as their memories is so sad. So is seeing how her children/grandchildren/great grandchildren are also affected by the impact of her deterioration. We make the best of it and continue to talk, laugh and reminisce with and about Margaret.

But we are ever closer to finding a drug that can halt the onset of Alzheimer's, and that's why I'm doing this walk.

And why at midnight? Well apart from the midgees and unpredictable Scottish weather, the walk is also about memories and reflection - we're getting to the top as the dawn breaks on one of the longest days of the year.

I'd better get there on time.

I know many of you often raise money and have your own charities to support, so please don't feel you have to sponsor me. Just reading this, looking at my photo gallery of Margaret, being aware of the impact dementia has and wishing me well on my way is fine. For those who can spare a few quid, thank you very much from me, Margaret and the Wray family.