I’m not putting it off any longer. I’m taking the DofE Diamond Challenge right now. Join me or sponsor me and help transform the lives of vulnerable young people.

As an ex scout leader (if there is such a thing as an EX scout leader) I have always been aware of the Duke of Edingburgh Award and have in the past bemoaned the fact that I had never had the opportunity to achieve that distinction so when I found out that the opportunity to earn the Diamond D of E was there I knew I had to do it but with what challenge? The answer, push my very unfit 58 (soon to be 59) body to do a sponsored walk and raise money for TWO very deserving causes in memory of my darling daughter-in-law Keri. What follows is her story and why I am challenging myself to raise money for the DofE and Cancer Research by completing the 6 mile walk over the Malvern hills and who knows, maybe I will have gotten fit enough to do the whole 10 miles on the day.

In October of 2008 my son met the girl of his dreams, Keri Cunningham, at our mutual friend's handfasting ceremony in our house in France. It was, quite literally, love at first sight, plain for all present to see.

Febuary of 2009 saw Eugene sneaking over to England and, with the help of his brother Martin, Keri's best friend Trina and her husband, he surprised her with a 'flash restaurant' romantic dinner for two in her living room and proposed. They then became a family of six to the delight of his daughter Ellie and her three daughters Dana, Alex and Lucy and they set to saving up for their dream medieval wedding in a scottish castle and a formal engagement party for the family and friends was held in Sandy, Bedfordshire in April 2009 and I was blessed with the daughter I had always wanted.

During this time Keri was studying for her degree at Luton University with Trina and in 2009 two very proud families saw the girls graduate together.

April of 2010 saw the arrival of a fith daughter, the lovely Frey Lani, and the postponement of the said wedding as funds were diverted to getting all the paraphanalia necessary for a new baby and life went on.

At the beginning of 2013 Keri began to have headaches which became progresively worse and was found to have a tumour which necessitated Chemotherapy but sadly this was ineffective and in December of 2013 Keri became Mrs Keri Jones at a quite family wedding in her room at the Sue Rider St John's Hospice in Moggerhanger.

It was only four short weeks later that our angel passed away and on the way to her service many of the famikly and friends saw rainbows in the skies over Bedford and the only song we sang at the service was Somewhere Over The Rainbow which is why this fundraising effort is called Keri's Rainbow.

Like Keri, I too have a best friend who I actually met at Luton University, Katy (Karen) Rosewell and we became instantly inseperable. Katy is a three time survivor of cancer and, like Trina and Keri, I watched her go through the nightmare of that illness and the terrible treatment that is chemo and as soon as I told Katy that I was doing this walk in memory of Keri as my personal challenge for my Diamond Duke of Edinburgh award she said, "then you're not doing it alone, I'm doing it with you" just like everything else we have done in the last 20 odd years so and I can't tell you how much that meant to me. 

So on 8th of October 2016, us two old crocks are going to walk 6 miles minimum (but hopefully the full ten miles) over the beautiful Malvern hills to raise as much money as we can for Cancer Research UK and the DofE

One last thing, Keri's Legacy goes on in her four beautiful daughters and step daughter and in November of 2015 Dana and Adam presented us with Keri's first grandchild, the beautiful Lilly Niahm Burrows.

I hope those of you reading this can see your way to give generously for Keri's Rainbow and I give fair warning, it doesn't stop here as I have already registered for the Nottingham Race For Life on the 4th June 2016 which is five days before Keri's birthday. 

And now, A brief word from the wonderfully mad Katy......

What more can I say? Such beautiful words from Marie, I was blessed beyond words the day I met this wonderful woman. We have been friends ever since and adopted ourselves as sisters all those years ago. She is my sister and my best friend, she has been with me in my best times and my worst times, I don't often say it but I love her sooo much! I have a defective gene, the BRACA1 gene that causes breast and ovarian cancer. I lost my mum from breast cancer when I was just 11. I battled my demons the first time aged just 27 an undergraduate at Luton reading Law. Then again just as I was getting ready to sit the exams that would allow me to study Medicine and make my childhood dreams come true, my nemesis struck again! Marie once more my faithful rock. My third and final battle was 5 years ago with ovarian cancer....I have been so lucky to survive whilst sadly others did not. Keri was a beautiful soul, so full of light and love, she made Eugene the happiest man alive....I am truly humbled and honoured to walk in her memory xxx

Anyone who is also happy to sponsor myself and Katy as well for the Malvern Hills walk for Cancer Research may do so on my sister page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kerisrainbow1

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