I wanted to do something fun to celebrate my 40th birthday and I couldn't make any adventure challenges work around family and work commitments, so I've created my own challenge to run 257km from London to Sheffield.

I left Sheffield for London almost 20 years ago. I never expected to be away for this long but it feels really special to have relocated back to Sheffield this summer, now with my own little family. What better way to mark the occasion than to run home.

I also thought that I'd take the opportunity to raise money for an incredible charity. I guess when you hit a milestone birthday you begin to start thinking about your health in a way you never do when you're 20 or 30. So I've chosen to raise money for a charity which invests into medical research for women.

As a mum of two girls medical research for women is particularly important to me and I hope that it's a cause that you will support generously too. The charity will appreciate any donation, of any amount, so will I. Perhaps given that I'm turning 40 you might consider donating £40.

Why it matters:

Did you know that only 2% of UK medical research funding is spent on pregnancy, childbirth and female reproductive health?

I'd say this is surprising, but it's not. It does need to change though, especially because 1 in 3 women face a gynaecological or reproductive issue. The NHS Alliance report that in the UK alone, absenteeism caused by symptoms such as severe pain, endometriosis, heavy periods and ovarian cysts costs nearly £11 billion every year.

Wellbeing of women say:

Our ambition is to ensure that women’s lives are not limited by their gynaecological and reproductive health. We do this by investing in world class research, championing education, raising awareness and tackling the taboos that exist in women’s health, influencing guidelines, policy and practice and empowering women to advocate for themselves.

Our research is focussed across a woman’s life course and includes period problems, pregnancy and childbirth issues including preterm birth, gynaecological cancers, and menopause.