I am aiming to raise funds for the incredible St John's Hospice in Lancaster, by trekking the final 116km of the Camino de Santiago, next October.

In the 12+ years since we lost Mark to cancer, so many of our friends and family have benefitted from the support of the hospice, and I want to raise as much money as possible to help them to continue to offer this invaluable service to our community.

Our family has again been hit hard by this absolutely horrendous disease, with our wonderful niece Beccy spending the final weeks of her life at the hospice - the compassion, care and dignified support they offered to Beccy and her whole family during this time was absolutely incredible.

We have also recently lost the wonderful Max Bould - a man whose infectious laugh and huge smile could fill a room. I will be striding (or, more realistically, plodding) through the Spanish countryside with Beccy, Mark and all of friends in my heart and on my mind.

This will not be an easy challenge for me, but sometimes we all need to push ourselves out of our comfort zone to support others. This is one of those times.