British Heart Foundation - £7,745

Joe Herrington Memorial Fund - £2,245

American Heart Association - $100

Please have a read of my trek and have a look at some of the photos.  You can also have a peak at the sketchbook here.

I chose to do this challenge because I met an amazing team of nurses and doctors who save lives every day and to whom I felt I needed to say thank you.  But those two words just didn't seem enough somehow,  so I decided to raise as much money as I could and highlight a charity that has always had a very personal resonance with me. The British Heart Foundation has basically funded the research into treating heart conditions that has enabled my husband, brother, father and mother to live full and interesting lives.

As most of my friends know, I am not the fittest of people. I play tennis with enthusiasm on Monday evenings but see it more of a reason to see lovely people I don't get the chance to see very often. The same can be said for my squash nights.   Also I am known to prefer stopping for a quick cappuccino than completing a major walk at a record pace. So embarking on this challenge was pretty significant for me.  But those that know me recognize that I am someone who keeps to my promises, and when I say I am going to do something, I really do.

So the day is here. On Saturday morning I will be setting off to Heathrow, catching a flight to Casablanca, then onto Ouarzazate (about 2.5 hours south of Marrakesh).  On Sunday we will be transferred by jeeps to Achbarou, the "Door of the Desert", and dropped off to walk 9km to our first camp. Sounds easy.

On Monday we trek 16km on sand dunes, traversing the Maider El Kbir plateau to camp at the bottom of Jebel Lamrakeb. Tuesday we climb Jebel Lamrakeb then walk down the valley to the O'Hare Gorges to camp in palm groves. This will be a tough day of 28km.  On Wednesday we cross the biggest dunes and trek along the dry Rhris River.  This is another tough day of 27km trekking.  Thursday we will leave the dunes and trek across the open desert plateau, covering 23km and setting up our last camp with the team and our local Berber guides. That's if it all goes to plan:-)

So my year of fund raising is nearly over.  I set a target of £5,000.  As of today the total raised is £9,530.  When I realised that I was going to raise more than my target, Luke and I decided to donate some of the money to the Joe Herrington Memorial Fund.   Joe was a sporty local Cambridge lad who died unexpectedly with an undiagnosed heart condition.  Our son Ciaran is the same age Joe was when he died and went to the same school, so this seemed appropriate.  Joe's family donates the money raised to CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) that screens teenagers for heart conditions.

So to finish I would just like to say a big thank you to some key people who have helped me get to this point today.  Ali Woollatt, Karri Fuller, Barbara Taylor, Helen Druiff, Lesley Tubb, Di Day, Shirley Shipton, Tricia Beasley, Pam Shelly, Penny Chudleigh who have been my Saturday walking crew who have provided me with lots of advice and encouragement and made sure I put the K's in each week.  Also a very big thank you to Julie Broomfield who has also consistently walked with me and ignored my pleads for a latte:-)

Also thanks to everyone who has donated money, or donated time or products to the Auction of Promises. And finally to Luke, Ciaran and Hannah who put up with my crazy ideas.

During the trek I will also be thinking of Jack Stone-Wigg. A treasured boy who would have celebrated his 11th Birthday this year. This is also for you.

All my kit laid out

Packed into two rucksacks.

Last week I went to the Peak District with a friend and four of our children (all girls ranging from 8 - 13).  The idea was to walk as much as we could.  However when we arrived to find a few inches of snow and then waking the next day to more snowfall we had to change our plans!  We did walk, but the snowfall was pretty heavy all day so we decided to give in and just play in it instead!

Many thanks to all our donators, helpers, the Auctioneer Alistair Wayne, and the band One Night Only, who made their debut performance.

We will let all our wonderful donors know how mush we raise after the event.

They did warn me that my hat looked like I'd just got off a horse. Must have been the beer.

On Sunday we started out in glorious sunshine to walk along Cley beach to Blakeney Point. Unfortunately the wind was so strong we turned back after two miles.

Their message says "Each Xmas we make homemade cards and donate to a charity. This year we support the BHF and your trek. Wishing you a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year!"

The total raised so far is £2,790. Invitations will go out in early January for the Auction of Promises.  Only 60 tickets are available so it will be on a first come-first serve basis. I am looking into seeing how I can get on-line bidding working on line as well so nobody is disappointed.

Happy New Year to everyone!

The total I have raised so far is £2,650.  I am now focusing on the Auction Of Promises where I hope to raise the remaining £2,350.  All of the £5,000 will go towards the British Heart Foundation.  Anything raised over that I will be donating to the Joe Herrington Memorial Fund.

Many thanks to everyone so far who has contributed to my Auction of Promises.

On Sunday morning, very early, Som took Vicki and I through the jungle to base camp.  It was a magical trek - hot and sticky but the views, peace and plants we saw on the way made up for it.  Cocoa pods, coffee beans and peppercorns growing along the path were fascinating.

Even the part of the trek where we had to pick off the leeches that attached themselves to our socks and boots became an adventure.

The trek was very valuable preparation for dealing with heat and hills.  While I dealt with the heat and going up with no problems I found that my knees did not like the way down one little bit!

Cocoa pods                                        Peppercorns                                     Vicki and Jo trekking

Vicki and Som de-leeching their feet                            Jo on the way down

Reaching base camp to a warm welcome of lemon water and spicy cabbage for breakfast.

I now have five more months of fund raising to go.  So far I have raised £2,630. Over half way now. My Auction of Promises is now under way and set for 1 February 2013.  Have a look at the pledges that have been kindly donated so far - with many thanks to everyone that has been supporting my year of fund raising - those that have donated pledges for the Auction, donated on my Just Giving page and those who force me to walk on a weekly basis. Thank you!

I could not get through this at the moment without some key people who are helping (whipping) me to keep going.  They know who they are:-)

World Heart Day was created in 2000 to inform people around the globe that heart disease and stroke are the world’s leading cause of death, claiming 17.3 million lives each year.

So what happens on World Heart Day?  Usually people around the world organise events, raising awareness of heart disease.  Have a look at the World Heart Federation at what is happening in the UK this weekend.

Personally, on Sunday I will be out walking the dunes of Norfolk to help me prepare for my trek in the Sahara in March 2013.  My year of fund raising for the BHF so far is £2,460.  My personal target is £5,000.  The Auction of Promises is shaping up and I am eternally grateful to those who have donated pledges for the invitation-only event in February 2013.

The next fund raising event is the Auction of Promises in February 2013.  Many thanks to everyone who has donated 'a promise' so far.

Every penny raised will be going to the British Heart Foundation.

Last week I took part in a Cambridge charity walking event.  The Bridge the Gap is a five-mile charity walk now in it's 11th year.  2012 was all about raising money for two local charities, Arthur Rank Hospice Charity and Press Relief - the News' Community Fund.  This was my second year of walking and it is a wonderful morning trekking through the colleges.  It is a friendly, sociable morning which everyone enjoys and I thoroughly recommend it.

Here I am dressed in hippie gear at Luke's 50th Birthday party.

Many thanks to Nicky Guard who took some of these photos.