Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

On September 3rd 2016 I will be attempting to complete the infamous Rat Race Man vs Mountain event in Wales to try to raise funds for the Stroke Association and The Friends of Deal Hospital who support my  local hospital in Deal in Kent. The plan is that the funds raised will be split 50:50.

The event itself looks nothing short of horrendous starting at sea level at Caernarfon Castle before begining a steady uphil 12 mile trail run culminating at the summit of Mount Snowdon, we then begin the descent before reaching the so-called vertical kilometre (a 200m vertical climb over 1km in a disused quarry), throw in an abseil, and a jump into a freezing reservoir, a short swim and a few water and land obstacles before crawling over the finishing line. The fact that a first aid kit is mandatory in your kit bag is slightly concerning!

22 miles, climbing 5055ft with an average finish time of 5hours 55 minutes will be as tough as it gets I think (see below)

http://ratrace.com/manvsmountain2016/

The reason for my putting myself through this that on January 10th 2016 we lost my Mum, Linda Ford following a stroke in early December. Mum had suffered many health problems over the years including bowel cancer in 1993, Guillan Barre syndrome in 1996, as well as a stroke in 2010. She faced every ailment with her usual mix of elegance, charm, witty (or not so witty) jokes and an unbelievable strength of character. Unfortunately she just couldn't recover from her stroke in December, but she still confounded the medical people by making it (although unconscious) through Christmas and New Year.

It was the staff at Deal Hospital who made what was an incredibly difficult time bearable by the absolutely extraordinary care they gave Mum. From the Health Care Assistants to the Nurses and Matrons we could not have asked for any more as they looked after her as if she was their own mum - all over Christmas and the New Year. They treated us the family with immense compassion and accomodated the almost 24 hour vigil we kept at Mum's bedside

Our local cottage hospitals need every £ they can get to pay for new equipment, to carry out building repairs, to have enough heaters in the winter and fans in the summer, so any money donated will be put to great use nad help local people receive the care they need from Minor Injuries to Hospice Care like that given to my mum.

Every year 110,000 people in the UK suffer a stroke and it is the third largest cause of death in the UK each year. Many recover but require an awful lot of help and support in order to live a reasonable life. Strokes can affect young and old and very often no-one will see them coming, and often they are not linked to an unhealthy lifestyle.

So please donate whatever you can to these fantastic causes, safe in the knowledge that I will be earning every last penny as I try to get around the course in one piece.

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.

Thanks again

Nick Ford