Part of my holiday last week was spent with a friend with whom I will be walking the Trans Pennine Trail in the fortnight that bridges July into August.  It's a mere 200 miles or so, 5 OS maps wide and 2 high, around 2000m of climbs and is probably sheer madness.  But it achieves two purposes: firstly a long standing ambition to complete a long distance walk and secondly a means of raising money for a good cause.

Over the last year, two former colleagues, a student 2 years below me at college and one of my tutors, died.  Each had wrestled with cancer or 'as near as makes no difference cancer' affecting their reproductive systems and I felt that I wanted to do something to honour their memory and maybe help other women facing similar difficulties.

I stumbled across a charity called Wellbeing of Women which funds research into 'all aspects of women's reproductive health'.  Although perhaps best known for its work on ovarian cancer, it also funds work in such diverse areas as fertility, endemetriosis and menopause.  I guess if it's female, below the waist and causes people to feel uncomfortable when they mention it, they work on it.  Whilst the big 'C' is the obvious focus, they take a fairly holistic approach.

So, gentle reader (a quaint phrase I've often wanted to use!) what I will be seeking (if you happen to know me, if you don't please ignore this request) is sponsorship and possibly the odd overnight stay to keep costs down.  My fellow walker and I know quite a lot of people along the first 40 miles of the route but once we enter Yorkshire not so many.

Please check out the WOW website to find out more and feel free to wonder at the insanity of this endeavour whilst at the same time realising that we will be remembering Rachel and Gillian.