The Human Milk Foundation is a new charity, established to fund research and education into human milk science, and to help parents access donor milk for their babies. They've helped mothers with cancer, HIV and depression, and more at some of the toughest times in their lives. They've helped when babies are critically unwell but their mum is unable to breastfeed or struggling to build her supply at a stressful time.

Our research shows how much this milk can help - for their baby but also in helping them to feel connected, cared for, listened to, respected and supported when everything else feels very difficult.

Donation can also be deeply personal and rewarding for women, especially if their own baby was in neonatal care, they had a difficult breastfeeding experience or for our snowdrop donors who donate after baby loss. Donating can help women feel part of something, connected to their baby and that they are giving back.

So we're asking you to please help us to help more families by sponsoring my rather long hilly run.

In 2021 I ran the London marathon for the Human Milk Foundation HMF. It was tough - too many people for me, too much concrete and a distinct lack of cows. But it was nowhere near as tough as having a baby in neonatal care or being told you have cancer when you're pregnant and then that you can't breastfeed your baby because of it.

So I'm attempting to run 100km along the hilly Ridgeway from Lewknor to Avebury. Yes in one go. You can split it over two days but I really don't like camping...

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Artwork in the image is by Leanne Pearce and is part of the series 'Connecting Hearts'. You can view the series of paintings Swansea University and the Human Milk Foundation commissioned to tell the story of donor milk over on the Human Milk Foundation website.

http://www.humanmilkfoundation.org/connectinghearts