12th Jan 2026, By Helen Miller

So, what's the new challenge; as you may be aware I was in month 7 of my "Mission Around Merseyside" when we received the sad news that Incurably Wonderful was having a change of direction and could no longer accept donations to run in-person groups. 

I have decided not to give up on my challenge of completing a journey around the outskirts of Merseyside in my powered wheelchair. 

I am 54 miles into my challenge, so I’m going to work this milage into my new challenge. 

So, what's changed; the biggest change is who I will be raising money for which will now be the charity ME Association. They support people with ME/CFS chronic fatigue syndrome. This charity was where I first found the contact information for Incurably Wonderful so it seems fitting to complete my challenge for ME Association. 

Whilst completing "mission around Merseyside" I realised just how hard it is to get around in a wheelchair with chronic fatigue. My original plan was to complete 4 to 8 miles per week on a specific route, using public transport to get to the start and end positions. This quickly became unrealistic, the effort involved was probably contributing to me becoming bed and house bound for weeks at a time. I also realised that every single mile in my wheelchair should count as it is such an effort to leave the house for normal day to day activities. A simple trip to school or the local shop can have as many challenges as doing a specific route. I don't need to get stuck in sand dunes or roll through bushes to still shine a light on accessibility. (I probably will still get myself into adventures mind). 

So, this time my challenge "1000 Miles More Awareness" won't be on any specific route in any specific location. I will simply count every mile I complete out of my own front door. As every journey no matter how small is an achievement when living with Chronic Fatigue. The challenge is can I complete 1000 miles out of my front door by the 1st of July 2026.  There is 169 days left of my challenge deadline, so I need to average 5.5 miles every day. Sounds easy you say! But the furthest I have been since October is to my daughter’s school and back, two times a day which is a total of 1.6 miles. The rest of the time I have been house bound due to illness and Ice. So, if I am going to complete this challenge, I will need to up my game and get back out of the house daily. 

Why the name? well I think we still need 1000 Miles More Awareness; as it is still so difficult to get around in a wheelchair. Some places are excellent for accessibility and I will visit and mention these in my blog as I go through this challenge. But just getting to the local shops, library, or train station can be very difficult in a wheelchair, often having to go a very long way around to get to the same place as a walker. When I was able to walk, I used to think most places were accessible, this is not the case and I feel this needs highlighting further. I used to cross the road where I liked as curbs didn’t matter and I’d take short cuts across grass without even thinking, this is just not possible in a wheelchair. Whilst I complete my 1000 Miles, I will also be blogging about the journeys I am taking and the challenges I am facing. 

Importantly I will be raising funds for ME Association, shortly I will be setting up a fundraising link to be able to collect donations for ME Association. 

Please follow me on my socials, get in touch if you would like to get involved, and suggest any places you think I need to try out in my wheelchair.