I must be mad! I am taking on the challenge of a lifetime; 7 marathons, 7 days, self-supporting in the Gobi Desert. Someone once said ‘Worse than madness is sanity’.

  I am fundraising in memory of Adam Stuart. Adam was my neighbour and we grew up together since the day I was born, he was my first friend. In 2007, when he was just 17 he contracted a rare strain of Meningitis and sadly he was taken from us. He was a great friend and loved to live life to the full, he is truly missed by all that had the pleasure to be part of his life.

   On the 31st of May I will be joining the Gobi March (China) as part of the 4 Deserts Series, which was named by Time magazine as one of the Top 10 Endurance Competitions in the World. The Gobi desert is the largest desert in Asia and the windiest non-polar desert in the world; out of the series, it has the most diverse terrain including grasslands, dirt tracks, riverbeds, rolling hills, mountain valleys and sand dunes.

  I will be walking 250km (155miles) in 7 days; the course is broken up into six stages of varying length, which must be completed within a certain time. Not that this isn’t daunting enough, the race is self supported which means I will have to carry a rucksack with everything I need, from all the food for the week to blister kit and sleeping equipment

   I’m hoping the money I raise will help Meningitis Now to build awareness, creating a future where no one in the UK loses their life and everyone affected gets the support they need to rebuild their lives.

   Please give whatever you can, even if it's a small amount (a couple of quid, a fiver, a tenner) - you'd be amazed how it all adds up and it will be so appreciated.