UPDATED - JOANNE'S SAHARA TREK CHALLENGE MARCH 2025

After the Ainslie Crew completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge on May 18th, I am planning to continue raising awareness and fundraising for Brain Tumour Research.

In March 2025, I will be undertaking the Sahara Trek with Brain Tumour Research. The challenge will be completely different to the Three Peaks. I will trek for 4 days through the Sahara, in temperatures of between 30-35 degrees.

20 years ago we lost our gorgeous, kind, funny Craig to a brain tumour. He was a daddy, husband, son, brother, uncle and friend to many.

Craig was just 33 years old, married to Joanne with two young children Holly and Alex, when diagnosed with an Oligodendroglioma. Until that point life was beautiful, living in France and enjoying the joys of a young family. We travelled, enjoyed good food and the mountains where we lived. Overnight life was turned on its head.

The next two years were a blur of scans, hospital appointments, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, stays in Intensive Care, complications, a full body plaster cast shaped like a teapot (a story for another time!), family rooms and hospital food!! There were tears, laughter and love throughout.

Two years after Craig's diagnosis he lost his hard fought battle at the age of 35. Our hearts were broken.

It is hard to believe that 20 years on research funding is still so low.

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer… yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease. This has to change !!

As a family we have just completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge The Ainslie Crew, consisting of his wife Joanne, children Holly and Alex, his twin Christopher and wife Steph, older brother Simon and his wife Dany, Liz, niece Charlotte, nephews Will, Harry and Jordan, along with Jill and Malcom Craigs parents completed the challenge. We finished in under 12 hours, had lots of laughs and tears whilst sharing lots of memories of Craig.

We have raised more than we could have hoped for Brain Tumour Research but my hope is that all you lovely, generous people will continue to support me in continuing to raise as much as possible for Brain Tumour Research as they are the only national charity dedicated to funding long-term, sustainable research in the UK. Please support us and help us fund the fight, it's about time a cure was found.

Lots of love

Joanne xx