Kimberly Kirby, mother of Isabella, 5, and Elwood, 16 months, who was born premature at 30 weeks, completed the two-day 100km endurance challenge along the Cotswold Way. Walking to help raise awareness for the charity Baby Life Support Systems (BLISS), Kim has so far raised £1,900 through the support of family, friends and colleagues with a second 100km walk, the South Coast Challenge, scheduled for 3–4 September.

“I couldn’t have done it without the support of my dear friend Anna Parisi,” says Kim. “We trained together for weeks and her unwavering support throughout has been amazing. The hardest moments for me were from 23km. The hill after that stop was hard, my feet were blistering and by 51km I felt mentally broken, but then we rested overnight. By 73km I had my feet strapped again as the blisters were so severe: there was so much padding I even had to remove my insoles! By 93km I really struggled and was very emotional; I was so near but doubted I would finish.

“Hitting the 99k mark, I knew I’d made it and felt such a sense of achievement it’s hard to explain. I had completed something that would help other families in the future.

“Having my husband Bruno at the finish line meant the world. He reminded me how proud he and the kids were, which meant so much to me.

“I will be doing it again, for me walking is my sanity and escape; and being healthy is more important for my children.”

Every five minutes, one in seven babies in the UK is born premature or in need of extra care on a neonatal unit. All donations via Kim’s JustGiving page https://tinyurl.com/4fz35zt6 go to Bliss Charity. Kim hopes her fundraising will help to raise awareness of the difficulties associated with having a premature baby.