My Story

As a teenager, my mum and I weren’t exactly best friends. But as I grew into adulthood, especially after I left home and started my own career, everything changed. She became my role model.

My mum was unstoppable: a single mother who built a career through sheer determination, played tennis 2-3 times a week, had an amazing social life and lived life on her own terms. She was intelligent, independent, strong, sassy (though we didn’t use that word back then!), adventurous and loved to travel. She shaped me into the woman I am today and I’ll forever be proud to call her my mum.

But, dementia has stolen so much of who she was. The vibrant, fun, fearless woman I grew up admiring is now just a shadow of her former self. Watching someone you love disappear in front of your eyes is something you can never truly prepare for. It’s devastating and it’s why I’m doing this.

By 2030, 1 million people in the UK will be living with dementia. That’s one million families facing confusion, heartbreak, and helplessness — unless we act now.

That’s why I’ve signed up for the Sahara Desert Trek in October 2026. Yes, you read that right — the Sahara Desert!

Now, let’s be real: I’ll be 55 years old and currently overweight and not what you’d call “trek-fit.” So this isn’t just a stroll in the sand — it’s a full-on personal Everest (much smaller but much hotter).

This challenge will push me in every way imaginable. There will be sweat, tears, laughter, sore muscles and maybe a few questionable tan lines. But every step will be worth it , because it’s for Mum and for everyone facing this cruel disease.

I’m determined to get fit, stay focused and conquer those dunes one sandy step at a time. But I can’t do it alone — I need your support.

Every donation — big or small — keeps me going through the training, the trek, and the moments I question my sanity for signing up! More importantly, it funds vital dementia research and support services that could change lives.

Let’s do this together — for my mum, for your loved ones and for a future free from dementia.

The Sahara won’t know what’s hit it — and neither will I!

About the Challenge

This is no doubt going to be a very challenging fundraising trek for me,  against the backdrop of the awe-inspiring Sahara Desert; it will be for sure a unique desert experience. 

From flat desert floor scattered with ancient fossils, to perfect wind-blown sand-dunes, this trek will be diverse and demanding but pushing me to the limit for a cause so close to my heart. I'm using this personal experience to be the best motivation to spur myself on. 

We will be accompanied by Berber guides and a small caravan of camels, our remote night-camps with camp-fires and Berbers singing are apparently often a real highlight of the trip!