On 21st May we’re doing the Keswick 3 Peaks challenge – climbing three mountains around Derwent Water in the Lake District.  When we were younger we spent a lot of time in Keswick with Dad, so this felt like the best way to honour his memory and raise some money for a charity close to our hearts.

Ten years ago we lost our dad Paul, or Pablo Grande as he was affectionately known by some. During his battle with Myelodysplastic syndrome we found out that Dad needed a bone marrow transplant and thanks to Anthony Nolan, was able to find a donor.  He was ecstatic when he found out he had a match and joked that with a 25 year old’s bone marrow he could go back to playing football with a 25 year old’s fitness. Sadly Dad was not able to recover but Anthony Nolan have been able to save thousands of lives through the amazing work that they do. Not only matching donors with those needing a transplant, but also conducting life saving research.

If you can, we’d love it if you could sponsor us on our walk and raise some money for Anthony Nolan, but if you’re not able to at the moment, please take a look at the Anthony Nolan website and consider becoming a donor.

A lot of people say that their dad is the best, but honestly, ours was. He was always making us laugh and at times felt like more of a best mate than our dad. A great man with strong principles and passion for his city and his football club, he had a huge influence on the people that we have become today.