In November last year, dear friends of ours Anna and Mikey Cecil lost their 15 months old daughter Isla to a rare and aggressive form of brain tumour. She died in their arms exactly a month after initially being diagnosed. Having been through pregnancy, hypnobirthing, and the early months of our daughters lives together, I am still unable to comprehend how life could have delivered such a cruel and devastating blow to the proudest of parents. Isla was a ray of sunshine - the child on the playdate who never cried, shared her toys and smiled and laughed as all hell broke loose amongst her contemporaries. Anna and Mikey's loss is indescribable.

There is currently no treatment available for ETANTR, the form of brain tumour from which Isla suffered and so the Cecils have bravely set about doing all they can to ensure that other parents never have to go through what they have. In conjunction with Great Ormond Street they have set up the Isla Cecil Brighter Future Fund in order to fund a research consortium led by Dr Darren Hargrave, the oncologist who treated Isla to undertake some pioneering research into aggressive childhood brain tumours with poor survival rates including, ETANTR.   The consortium are confident that with the necessary funding (£3 million over 5 years) they can  bring about a step change into the research and treatment of these devastating tumours. Mikey and Anna aim to raise £250,000 of this in memory of Isla.

In July to launch the fundraising initiative Mikey will cycle an amazing 1,000 miles over 15 days around England visiting many of the places he and Anna took Isla to during her lifetime.  I am joining him for the Lincolnshire leg of the tour on 25th July, cycling 70 miles from the top to the bottom of this noble (but thankfully largely flat) county.  Circumstances initially meant I was only able to join the support crew for this leg, however, these having changed I have got myself a bike, signed up to a block of spinning classes and joined the scores of cyclists making their way round Richmond Park every weekend.  With only a month to go, there is an element of Challenge Anneka time pressure to keep things interesting.

Its no Marathon de Sables I grant you, but given the worthiness of the cause, I will be hugely grateful for any support you are able to give.