Simon was an incredible person to know. He had a passion and flair for everything he did whether that be teaching, rugby, skiing or anything else he turned his hand to and so, unsurprisingly, within a week of being diagnosed he had created his own bucket list.

At the top of that list was to raise awareness of MND and £1 million to help find a cure. By the time he lost his battle in October 2011, just shy of 2 years after his diagnosis he had already raised a third of his goal and at his funeral we all vowed to continue fundraising to reach it!

This year I had planned on trekking the Great Wall of China but due to new circumstances and work, I can no longer get the required dates off and have had to cancel. I am so disappointed as it would have been an amazing challenge but some things are out of our control. I have completed a few half marathons and aim to tackle the 3 peaks challenge in June so still want to raise as much as I can for MNDA!