On 26th June 2024, I am taking part in my first ever skydive. It's something I have wanted to do for years and was actually the first thing I booked for myself after retiring in January. I'm very excited, falling from a height of 13,000 feet, 50 seconds of freefall, at speeds of up to 120mph!

It was always my aim to use this experience to raise money for charity, but only in recent years did I realise which charity I wanted to support.

Multiple Sclerosis was something I'd heard of but knew very little about until relatively recently. In fact, I did not know anyone living with MS until I met my now daughter-in-law, Claire, just over 4 years ago and learned that her lovely mum, Helen, has lived with the condition for the past 15 years.

Like so many people living with long-term health conditions, Helen is an inspiration! Her constant optimism and cheerfulness is a lesson to us all. Even on bad days with set-backs, Helen gets on with her busy life, supported by her husband Roman, and the rest of her family. Still working full time and always being a supportive mother and grandmother - MS is not a barrier to Helen's love of life.

So Helen, this is for you and everyone who lives with MS.