Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Caring Matters Now is a charity that helps support families with children born with CMN Syndrome, a very rare congenital condition. CMN Syndrome comes with a significantly increased risk of Cancer and in some cases can result in neurological problems and premature fatalities. 

The charity is one very close to my heart as my own little boy James was born with this condition in 2006 and is treated for it at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

In 2011 with your fantastic support I was able to raise £4,233 in aid of Caring Matters Now. I took on a 4 challenges throughout 2011 culminating on the 2nd October 2011 by successfully reaching the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

In total the team that took on the Kilimanjaro Challenge raised over £80,000 for Caring Matters Now. 

The money raised funded medical research at Great Ormond Street Hospital. The result of which being that specialists have now identified the specific gene which can cause this condition, something which would not have been possible without your generosity. So to those of you who kindly sponsored me in 2011 .........sincerely thank you so much.

The same doctors are now working tirelessly on developing treatments and ways of preventing the condition in the future. The research at GOSH is completely funded by Caring Matters Now and other charitable grants and has no direct government funding, which is why I am at it again......... 

Although the sensation of having a metal band tightening around my head, blood dripping from my nose and feeling like I have the worst hangover ever, is not an experience I look forward to again, ....... hopefully in an attempt to encourage you to dig deep, this time I am doing even more and going even higher.......slightly!! 

On the 11th September 2015 as part of a team, I will be taking on " The Avenue of the Volcanoes" in Ecuador, ending with a summit attempt of Mt Cayambe, one of the highest volcanoes in the world and the highest point in the world crossed by the equator, with its summit standing at 5790 metres above sea level and with permanent ice and snow cover. 

This challenge is graded by the organisers as extreme in difficulty and concludes with technical climbing using ropes, ice axes and crampons, something I have never done before. 

Over the last 12 months in preparation for the challenge (and in an attempt to encourage you all to cough up a bit of extra cash) I have punishing myself further by doing the following events; 

I completed the Hell Runner Series, 3 separate events each a 10 to 12 mile endurance run with obstacles. (If you have ever done one you will know how hard they are).

On the 26th of April 2014 I completed " Hell in the Middle" at Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire. 

On the 1st November 2014 -  I completed "Hell Up North" in Delamere Forest in Cheshire. 

On the17th January 2015 - I completed "Hell Down South" at Longmoor in Surrey. 

And if that was not enough to encourage you to part with some cash, in addition I completed the Manchester Marathon on the 19th April 2015. 

 All that is left now is the Volcanoes in September 2015!

I would be eternally grateful if you could spare what you can, even the smallest contribution will all help in raising the vital funds needed to continue this research.    

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