I've recently retired from my work as a psychotherapist and researcher at the age of 60. To mark this milestone in my life I've set myself 60 tasks to complete in a year, aided and abetted by my heroic husband, fabulous family and faithful friends. Some of the tasks are activities I've been wanting to try out for years, some are activities that I'd much rather avoid at all cost and some have been suggested to me by other people. To see a list of the tasks, do please visit my blog at http://sixtyat60challenge.blogspot.co.uk  The most important task is to do some fundraising. For the first six months, between June and November 2015, my chosen charity was Alzheimer's Research UK for whom I raised a fantastic £1800 thanks to the generosity of friends, family and followers. For the remaining six months, between December 2015 and May 2016, I'm fundraising for Shooting Star Chase children's hospice care.  

The gorgeous little girl in the photo above is Thea Rose Redford. She is the first grandchild of my great friend Carol. Thea's life was all too short due to the profound effects of a very rare genetic disorder, but she was a little legend and her zest for life and determination to exceed the expectations of her diagnosis was an inspiration to us all. She certainly captured my heart!  Thea's family were totally devoted to her and managed her everyday care with skill, resilience and love. And Shooting Star Chase played an important role in providing Thea's amazing parents Annabel and Rob with support, advice and expertise. 

The experiences of Thea's family reminded me a little of my own challenges as a young mother. My youngest child Lucy was born very prematurely at 26 weeks' gestation and for the first two years of her life my husband Andrew and I lived in a state of constant high alert. Lucy is now a healthy happy adult, but we have never forgotten her difficult start in life, and are hugely appreciative of Shooting Star Chase's wonderful services. 

Hence my decision to fund-raise for Shooting Star Chase in the second half of my challenge - in celebration of two very special girls, Thea and Lucy.