My name is Erica and in a moment of madness on New Years Day, I decided to dedicate the whole year to raising money for a worthy cause - The Christie. This I decided would take the form of a challenge every month for the whole year and some extras on top.  You can follow my progress on my Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/yearofchallenges?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

My father is a patient at the Christie and the support received by the staff has made a very difficult and stressful time much more bearable for my parents.

The first challenge was deciding what to do every month.  My husband and I pondered, discussed and laughed about all the sensible and silly suggestions (I can't do Movember darling!!!) but finally decided on the list.

January - It's Dry - No Alcohol
February - No more smoking!!
March - No chocolate (eek!)
April - No Ice Cream (for those who know my addiction to this substance will understand it WILL be a challenge!)
May - Exercise at least 4 times a week (including fitness classes, bike rides, runs and walks each lasting a minimum of 60 minutes)
June - No Swearing (any slip ups will cost me a 50p donation) Plus doing the Parish Walk
July - No Coffee
August - Sit and Press Up Challenge! And completing the Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge
September - 3K a Day (run, walk or ride every day)
October - No chocolate Again (I must hate myself!!)
November - No Alcohol (one last time)
December - Festive Fun (a month of various fundraising events TBC as they are organised)

During the course of the year I will also challenge myself to attempt various other Charity Events taking place around the island - if you would like to let me know of any please e-mail me ericarout@hotmail.com.

My husband, Daryl, will be my support, my punching bag (for the hard times) and also my "referee", ensuring that I don't fall off track and finish every challenge!

The Christie are leading experts in cancer care, research and education. They have been pioneering cancer research breakthroughs for over 100 years and remain committed to helping all those affected by cancer. Both now and in the future.  http://www.christie.nhs.uk/the-christie-charity.aspx

Thank you for taking the time for reading this - please share and if you really want you can join me!  Even for just one challenge :)  Your support and donations will be very appreciative and will go a long way to helping everyone's battle against Cancer through the amazing work done by The Christie.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.