Dear Friends,

I am helping to raise much needed funds for Isabel Hospice by trekking 7 hours a day through the Rain Forest of Borneo, then sleeping on a wooden platform protected by my mosquito net.  I am covering the cost of the trip myself and aim to raise £1,000 which will go directly to Isabel Hospice.

The group I am travelling with will also be working on a community water project in a local village deep in the Rain Forest. I shall be trying to avoid leeches, snakes and other jungle creepy crawlies. 

I am keeping a blog which will detail the ups and downs, preparations and further details of this challenge: http://www.isabelhospice.org.uk/shownews.asp?page=2129

This will also be streamed onto the Hertfordshire Mercury website.

A little bit about the cause

Isabel Hospice has been providing care for local people in eastern Hertfordshire since 1982.  They offer a complete service through a team of Community Nurse Specialists, Day Hospice for up 60 patients each week, three satellite Day Hospices, Hospice at Home, Family Support Service, a 16 bed In-patient Hospice and a Bereavement Service. A fully trained team of volunteers supports the specialist medical staff in providing a warm, caring environment for patients and their families.

In 2009/10 the cost of providing these services, free, to the local community will be just under £5million, and of this, £3.4million has to be raised by donations from people like us.  Of every £1 raised from this challenge, 88p will go directly to the care and support of Isabel's patients.

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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.