Jess is Walking a Silly Distance for a Good Cause

Hi friends, family and randoms!

In a fit of madness, I have agreed to do the 50 kilometer (Tia Maria, that's 31 miles!) Thames Path Challenge to raise money for a great organisation, North London Cares.

I started volunteering with NLC when it was just the founder, Alex, the brilliant Jen Painter and all they had were some flyers and a pocket full of dreams. It's grown by leaps and bounds over the past couple years, and now they run loads of fantastic programmes designed to get our older and isolated neighbours hanging out and having fun with each other and young whippersnappers like myself.

I love a physical challenge, so when this came up, I thought, 'I know how to walk. This will be a piece of piss!' Then I went walking in Oxfordshire over the May bank holiday, and after 10 miles in one day, covered in snails and poo and nettle stings and mud and blisters, I realised it's going to be more of a challenge than I thought. But the guilt of begging loads and loads my friends' and family's hard earned cash (wink, wink) looming behind me like a fast-approaching juggernaut will spur me on. Many thanks in advance!!! xxx