Mikaela and her husband David were housed by the trust when their son Reggie was in intensive care in London.

For her, taking on the challenge is the best way to thank the trust for taking care of her family when she needed support.

Mikaela explained: “We do it because of the way the charity helped us when Reggie was in intensive care in London.

“We lived in central London when Reggie was born and they put us up in one of their ‘Home from Homes’ when he was in intensive care.

“Having this house and being able to be so close to him when he was so sick made a huge difference.

“I think it costs around £250 a week to support a family.

“It’s a lot and he was hospitalized for four and a half months.

“Although we weren’t at Sick Children’s Trust all the time, there were families who were in hospital for 11 months.

“This is a charity that is in desperate need of funding so that it can continue to support families like ours.”

Mikaela had intended to take the challenge in 2020 but had to postpone due to Covid-19 restrictions and she added that she feels ready for the challenge.

“I felt the need to do something that kind of reflected his pain, which I felt was productive,” she said.

“I feel physically ready, I’ve done a lot of training.

“Not massively looking forward to the heat and the sand.

“But in terms of walking, I feel completely ready.”

Despite the current cost of living crisis, Mikaela said the people of Whitchurch have been supportive.

She said: “It’s been OK, obviously people don’t give so much money anymore

“We’ve raised around £1,600 and I’m hoping to reach £2,000 before we leave.”

Anyone wishing to donate to Mikaela’s cause can do so by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/reggies-journey