Millimetres 2 Mountains: Changing Lives

Endless adventures with Ed & Lois Jackson, founders of M2M

June 2022: 130 miles of undulating Cornish coastline, from Land's End to Fowey

June 2023: 75 miles of undulating Devon coastline (!), from Portwrinkle to Dartmouth

October 2023: Trekking 10 days through the Nepalese Himalayas, reaching 5,000m+

Back in 2018 I stumbled across Ed Jackson's story, an ex-professional rugby player who had recently suffered a severe spinal cord injury leaving him quadriplegic and told he would unlikely ever walk again. I followed his recovery due to a vested interest in individuals overcoming adversity, having worked for Help For Heroes in the past.

Fast forward to June 2021 and I was finally able to meet Ed and his wife Lois on their Flagship 'Walk the Coast' event in Cornwall. Ed has defied all expectations and is able to walk (more-or-less) freely - and taking it one step (or a few more!) further, he has pursued mountaineering to understand what his body is truly capable of (in fact, in 2022 he broke the world record in Nepal as the first quadriplegic to attempt to summit a 7,000m mountain, reaching 6,800m…). 

Ed and Lois have since set up the Millimetres 2 Mountains Foundation, supporting those who face adversity to tackle their challenges through adventure, nature, life coaching, career grants and much more. It has been incredibly humbling to meet all of their beneficiaries over the past few years and see how the work that M2M is doing is truly changing lives. 

Having Walked the Coast and climbed 5 UK peaks over Christmas 2021, 120 miles along the Cornish coast in June 2022, 75 miles along the Devon coast in June 2023, I am once again joining Ed, Lois and their beneficiaries in Nepal in October 2023 to trek through the Himalayas, reaching heights of 5,000+m. This is a huge challenge for me, as due to a chronic lung condition I do not tend to fare well at altitude. I am determined to beat it this time and see where Ed truly fell in love with the mountains, and visit the spinal unit in Kathmandu funded by M2M. We will be joined by their beneficiaries, which will be a life changing experience.

Having been closely involved with the charity over the past two years, I know that the money I raise will directly change lives and inspire those around them.