All four of us (Mariam, Richard, Indigo & Lysander) are taking part in Chain of Hope's 15 minute challenge. We will be challenging ourselves for 15 minutes a day throughout September. Yes even the two littles will be taking part!

We will each do an activity for 15 minutes - though the kids may need to split the 15 minutes between the two of them, as getting a 2 year old to do the same activity for 15 minutes can be a challenge in itself! But they are excited and with their tracker sheets to tick off, they will be ready to go!

We are still brain storming which activity/ies we will be doing. My vote is trampolining, which for someone like me with a chronic back condition, is a challenge. The kids may just think it's playing, but at their ages, isn't everything?! Lysander, the football mad two year old, has voted for playing football - surprise surprise!

Chain of Hope is a charity that is very close to my heart. Not just through working for them, but even before that, having had family with congential heart disease. When my father was having a heart operation, we met a Chain of Hope child and their family having treatment in the same hospital. It really reminded me how fortunate we are to have access to free health care in this country that many people around the world just do not have. 15 million children a year die or remain severely ill through potentially treatable or preventable heart conditions - that's a staggering number! And Chain of Hope works to provide access to treatment and to treat many children with heart disease around the world.

We are grateful for every form of support whether that's a donation, a share, a like or some words of encouragement. They ALL mean a lot - Thank you!

What is the 15-Minute Challenge?

The 15-Minute Challenge will run from 1st September and end on 29th September, coinciding with World Heart Day.

This campaign aims to spread awareness of heart disease and Chain of Hope's work to help alleviate the inequalities of cardiac care around the world.

The campaign encourages our supporters to partake in a 15-minute activity every day and raise crucial funds for children in developing and war-torn countries. The choice of 15 minutes represents the 15 million children that die or remain severely ill every year through potentially treatable or preventable cardiac diseases.

The money you raise will help transform a child’s life and give them a second chance to live with a strong, healthy heart. Donations raised can help to fund every element of our global heart operation missions, from building infrastructure and providing medical equipment to hospitals, to flying out and training volunteer cardiac teams.