For anyone that doesn't already know our story (from Ben's Dad Phil) .......

This September will be 8 years since we as a family said goodbye to our beautiful boy Ben. Ben was 11 years old and our only child.

Ben had a condition called mitochondrial disease which affected his kidney's and heart (amongst other things). Anyone who was lucky enough to know Ben, knows it did not affect his bright character and wonderful personality, his sense of humor, his love of fun, his resilience and his bravery - he made us so very proud every day, he shone incredibly bright and brought us nothing but joy, without him there is a huge hole in all of our lives, that nothing can ever fill.

When Ben was 10 his condition deteriorated and we were referred to Acorns Children's Hospice. When he was well enough we visited Acorns where Ben enjoyed the sensory room, music therapy and crafts. When he was too unwell, Acorns staff visited Ben at home and brought fun activities or gave him a relaxing story massage!

After Ben passed away, he stayed at the Hospice using the 'special bedroom', and we stayed in the comfortable family accommodation. Acorns supported Helen & I (and those closest to us) through the darkest, saddest moments imaginable, looking after us and allowing us time and space to process our loss away from the world, whilst still being with our boy. They gently helped and guided us in such a way that we will always be grateful for - feeding us, listening to us, caring for us and Ben, and shielding us from the outside world enabling us to attempt to start processing our devastating loss. We always describe it like we were in an Acorns bubble that cared for and protected us when we needed it most.

We continue to talk about Ben always and keep him as an integral part of our lives, and fundraising is a big part of helping with this. We're not sure we could've got through that time without Acorns and we want them to be able to continue to offer the invaluable support that they give to families facing the unimaginable - as sadly the need for the services they offer never goes away.

So, on to the challenge!!

Myself, and Ben's much loved Godfather & Uncle, Nick are taking on the challenge of trekking a section of the Great Wall of China, as part of an organised group with "Team Acorns". We will be in China for 10 days and on the wall for 5 days, walking a total of 50km (8-15km a day), some of it very hilly. We're both at an age which means just standing up or sitting down results in groaning, so this is going to be quite a test for these old bodies! The training has begun! We will be carrying Ben with us every step of the way - and he will be motivating and inspiring us as he always does.

We are going to be doing lots of work to raise funds over the next year - we've got lots of plans and will keep you posted with how it's going.

So many of our friends/family/colleagues/neighbours have been exceptionally generous over the last 7+ years, helping us to raise an incredible amount in Ben's memory, which is now well over £30,000! We appreciate that in the current financial climate, money is tight for so many, but if you are able to donate anything at all that will be amazing. If you're not in a position to donate, please help by sharing the page so we can reach as many kind people as possible.

Thank you for reading.

Phil & Nick (Ben's Dad & Uncle, AKA 2 oldies trekking the Great Wall!)