For those who don't know, my husband Dan was paralysed from the waist down in a motorbike crash just over 10 years ago. Just 4 years later, he was hit by a car when completing a charity handcycling event, and was left with a compression at C4 in his neck, leading to reduced strength in his left arm.

Dan has always said that being paralysed is not the main challenge with his disability, he's gone onto becoming a qualified SCUBA diving instructor and achieved 3x Guinness Word Records! Instead, it's the accompanying health complications that are the most frustrating and painful to deal with.

This is where Spinal Research come in - over the last 40 years they have made huge advancements in their understanding of spinal cord injuries and for the first time in history, we are now seeing a new generation of treatments which will help restore vital functions for those living with paralysis. These are crucial steps on the journey to cure paralysis and a journey that I would very much like to support.

So, at the end of May 2025, I will be hiking three Alpine peaks (twice the height of Scafell Pike, Snowdon, and Ben Nevis) over three gruelling days! As much as I would like to consider myself reasonably fit, this is going to be quite the challenge and is going to take a lot of training to prepare for. But I already know that the blisters and back ache will be totally worth it if I can raise awareness of the fantastic work that Spinal Research do and can raise a small chunk of money to fund their research.

As hard as this trek will undoubtedly be for me, I have always loved being outdoors and spent the majority of my childhood adventuring outside. My Dad and I would go walking together every weekend, spending long amounts of time in the Lancashire countryside. I lost my Dad in 2024 and so it's lovely to be able to take part in such a worthwhile event, whilst simultaneously feeling close to my Dad again.

Please, if you're able to, a donation of any amount would be so gratefully appreciated. Otherwise, just sharing this link with your family and friends would be amazing. Thank you so much in advance!

Spinal Research is the UK’s leading charity funding medical research around the world to develop effective treatments for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury. There are an estimated 105,000 people in the UK living with an injury.

Spinal Research receive no government funding and rely entirely on the support of the public to raise funds for their research. Because of the efforts of supporters, the charity have funded innovative medical research that has achieved a number of ground breaking changes in the field.

If you would like to learn more about the incredible work Spinal Research do, please visit https://spinal-research.org/.