Thanks so much for taking an interest in our page!

I’m Marie-Christine, a 37 year old novice runner about to attempt the Marathon des Sables; the toughest footrace on earth.

This coming April I’ll be running 252km (equivalent to about 6 marathons) across the Moroccan Sahara desert, with temperatures reaching as high as 50 degrees Celsius. I’ll be carrying my own food, sleeping bag and emergency equipment. I’m not an ‘athlete’… until six weeks’ ago I had never even run a half marathon.

So I feel a bit foolish, but here’s why I’m doing it…

My mum Brigid (or Bid, as many of you know her) is a superwoman. An actress; an elocution, speech and drama teacher; a mum of three; a caring wife; and an insane cook – mum never sat still.

Until 2015, when she suffered a very sudden and horrific illness which left her paralysed from the neck down and reliant on a ventilator to breathe. Mum is unable to speak and has been locked in her body ever since.

My mum is not alone, as she lives with other ventilated patients in a specialist hospital. With high-level needs, each patient needs to be accompanied by a qualified member of staff when they wish to go outside, which sadly is not often possible.

So…I am running to raise money to build a new and safe garden, where residents can sit independently and share time with their families. You don't need me to tell you that being outdoors, surrounded by nature is so incredibly important to our mental health. This new garden will change lives (my mum’s, her fellow residents' and all the families’) and take a huge pressure off the staff who so lovingly dedicate their lives to caring for others.

Why the Marathon des Sables?

My brother, Hugo and I made a pact that one day we would run the Marathon des Sables together. Not long after that, he disappeared off a boat in the Great Barrier Reef and was never found. He may not be with me in person, but I know he’ll be sitting on my shoulder as I crawl through the desert, with my dear dad on the other.

We have an ambitious target but we’re making a start.

So if you can help in any way towards it, you have no idea the difference you’d make!

Thank you ♥

Please see below for a better idea of our target and what we hope to achieve:

£20,000

If we hit £20,000 we’ll be able to re-vamp the small patio that’s already there, making the space more wheelchair-friendly and beautify it with lots more plants and flowers. This would make space for one more wheelchair user, so three people could enjoy the outdoors with a family member at any one time.

£120,000

Our most ambitious target (and the absolute dream scenario!) would be to raise around £120,000. This figure blows my mind, but it would mean we could extend the garden on one level (the existing patio is raised off the ground) to about three times the size. There would be enough space for at least eight or nine residents at a time, meaning all residents could get outside daily, and it would be a little oasis of calm to share time with friends and family or sit alone for some much needed peace and quiet.

There are options in between but for now, those are the two extremes.