6 years ago I rolled out of bed and couldn't stand up!

It turned out that I had acute arthritis in my both hips and they needed replacing ASAP. As a mum of teenagers I had responsibilities – driving, shopping, laundry, cooking, looking after the house and garden and, oh yes, my full-time self-employed work as a website designer. If you’ve ever seen the actress Julie Walters in the BBC comedy sketch ‘Two Soups’ you'll be able to visualize my predicament. Not great.

During The Pandemic I was very, very lucky to have my useless hips replaced at NHS Hereford County Hospital. Performed a year apart both operations were a success and thanks to the physiotherapists I now have full mobility and am pretty much pain free. The relief is overwhelming. Because of this I want to celebrate my shiny new hips by giving something back. When a close friend (who has also had a hip replacement) told me she wanted to walk the last leg of the French part of the Camino Way to raise funds for St Michael’s Hospice I asked if I could join her. Neither of us could be called athletic and our physiques are… well, more the shape of a comfy sofa than a hardback chair if I’m honest.

I’ve bought the kit - high viz walking gear, proper walking boots, a backpack and a clip-on water bottle. Training has commenced and I’m tackling steep hillsides, windy coastal paths and wild moorlands. I have started weight training (friends please suspend your disbelief), Pilates classes and I attend a fantastic aqua-fit class four times a week. I have never in my life had so much exercise and have never felt so optimistic about a healthy future.

By being able to join this trek (approx. 120km in total) I’ll be achieving my own ‘reward‘, but I would be so very grateful if you would sponsor my efforts and donate an amount you can happily afford to St Michael's Hospice, Hereford. Whilst I’m walking, I know that I’ll be very much motivated by your donations and the thought that someone will get to have the very best of care, comfort, and quality of life during their last days on this amazing earth of ours. Please note that some of your sponsorship money will be used to pay for the cost of the trip.

Thank you so much.

Liz X