My wife, Charlotte, died nearly three years ago on 26th February 2022. Despite the passage of time our sense of loss does not fade; we miss her dreadfully and life is just not the same without her.

Throughout the course of her MND, she was cared for by the fantastic team at Weldmar Hospicecare. This charity provides specialist care for adults in Dorset with life limiting illnesses – and support for their loved ones. This includes care at home in the community from Weldmar Community Nurses and Weldmar at Home, the Inpatient Unit in Dorchester, counselling and bereavement support, social workers, physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

Charlotte, our children and I have benefitted from all these services in one way or another. Indeed, Charlotte and I lived at the Hospice (the “Inpatient unit”) for the last four weeks of her life. The care she received there was nothing but full of love, sympathy and understanding.

Many, many friends supported Kit and Archie in their Jurassic Challenge in May 2021 and helped them to raise a vast sum for the MND Association. Now it’s my turn, but to fundraise for the charity that directly supported Charlotte throughout – and greatly eased – her journey.

Each year Weldmar organises a fundraising expedition, where participants cover the cost of their own travel and pledge to raise the same amount, or more, for the charity. In two months’ time on 14 March I will be in a party of 16 setting off to Peru to trek to Machu Picchu.

It’s not going to be a walk in the park. I am training hard, rising each weekday at 6 am to be at the gym for an hour by 7am! We’ve been doing monthly training walks up and down the hillier parts of the Dorset Countryside for the last 14 months (and a new house with a stair of 54 steps is helping). All in preparation for 11 days in country and the Salkantay Trail on we will reach a height of 15,190 feet, before a welcome drop down the world heritage site of Machu Picchu at a mere 7,972 feet.

Weldmar Hospicecare is an outstanding charity making a real difference to the lives of many in Dorset. In the last six months it’s been hit by a £440k cut in finding from the NHS and – together with all care homes – is not exempt for the Government’s increases in employers’ NI – an immense double whammy. Every penny raised can help sustain the outstanding services the charity provides. I have just met my £2,500 personal target and am continuing to fundraise. Any support you can give would be hugely appreciated. With sincere thanks, David