**THE FUNDRAISING CONTINUES - more events to come!**

The Pilgrims have completed their challenge!  105 miles walked in 4 days.  It's been tough, it's been warm and walking on beaches is no walk in the park but they've done it!   Massive congratulations to them all and most of all a big THANK YOU for undertaking such a challenge in Anna's memory.  We are truly grateful!  Our thanks also go to:

Hemsby Beach Café, Beach Road, Nr Great Yarmouth, NR29 4HS, for your warmth, generosity and support.  We are so sorry for your loss.

The Bricklayers Arms (Andy and Jess, all the staff and customers), Chipstead, for all your support, before, during and after our challenge.

For pictures and more updates, please visit Facebook: 'The Anna Lewis Brighter Future Fund' and please like the page while you're there so that you can follow events!

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We, the Chevening Pilgrims, are a group of local men who undertake challenging walks for causes that mean a lot to us.  In the past few years we have completed the Three Peaks Challenge, Hadrian's Wall and the Camino de Santiago amongst other walks, raising tens of thousands of pounds for charity along the way.

In June 2019 we are walking the Norfolk Coastal Path, starting at Kings Lynn railway station and walking the Norfolk coastline, finishing at Great Yarmouth Pier, a total of 105 miles over 4 days.  Training has already begun on Saturday mornings, starting early from the Bricklayers Arms in Chipstead and covering up to 23 miles on our longer walks.

Our cause this year is The Anna Lewis Brighter Future Fund which raises money for research into Mitochondrial Disease at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.  Anna died in 2012 of this incurable illness, as her dad David - one of the Pilgrims - explains:

"No parent should ever be told that nothing can be done to save their child, but that's what my wife Jess and I were told in March 2012.  Our 14 month-old daughter, Anna, had been ill for only 10 weeks.  Before that, she was a happy, seemingly healthy baby with chubby cheeks and hair that refused to lie flat!  She was adored by us and by her big sister Holly.  Out of the blue, Anna had a seizure and ended up in Intensive Care.  No one knew what was wrong with her.  She was transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital where, 8 weeks after she was taken ill, she was diagnosed with Mitochondrial Disease.  This is a genetic illness affecting the body's ability to convert energy from food into energy for cell growth and function.  In Anna, it affected her brain and her liver.  The worst news was yet to come: there is no treatment or cure for Mitochondrial Disease.  We had no idea how long Anna would live.  In the end it was just 2 short weeks after her diagnosis.

GOSH is an incredible place.  They cared for Anna, and us, with such love that we knew we wanted to help them after Anna's death.  The GOSH / Institute of Child Health also has one of three research centres into Mitochondrial Disease in the country.  We didn't want other parents to be told what we had, that nothing could be done for their child.  So we decided to raise money in Anna's memory for research into Mitochondrial Disease and just a couple of months after Anna's death, The Anna Lewis Brighter Future Fund was born.  An initial target to raise £80,000 for diagnostic equipment was reached - to our surprise - in a year, so next we went for £250,000.  To date we have raised £316,000 but we won't stop until a cure is found".

Thank you for reading this far, and thank you for supporting our cause.  We have set ourselves a big target, but we know that we can reach it with your support!   Thank you!