In a visit to the Peak District 5 years ago I decided to challenge myself to face some of my physical and mental obstacles.  As the first step in a year of walking I walked the Turks Head 10K in Twickenham in June 2018 (and also repeated this in June 2019).  When I talked about entering the race, a few friends asked me if they could 'sponsor' me.  So I chose to support Steps - who provide information and support for people who've been affected by childhood lower leg conditions, like me. I want to raise £2500 for Steps Charity.

It's plain to see that I walk a bit differently.  I was born with quite severe Developmental Dysplasia of the Hips (DDH). In plain English this means that my hip joints didn’t form properly before I was born.  Walking is not something I do with ease or speed.  Yet I'm slowly learning that we often create our own limitations, and I wanted to challenge mine.

I've launched a blog called diff-abled.co.uk to share my challenges as I walked a national trail. I completed 100 miles of the South Downs Way between October 2018 & 2019.  In June 2021 I completed a 2.5km swimathon called the Hip Dip.

In 2021/2022, I used my daily 'lockdown' walks locally to complete 268 miles of a virtual 'Pennine Way’. During the year my walking severely worsened; and it turned out I needed a knee replacement on the opposite leg to my hip replacement. So in January 2022 I became that bit more bionic!  Whilst my new knee is stronger, I now require walking sticks day to day.

For the most regular updates you can follow this blog on Facebook and Twitter: @WalkingJill

Thanks to everyone who's supported me so far on this journey. Every small donation adds up to a lot of support - just like every short walk adds up to a lot of miles.