Former Harborough reporter with MS embarks on 5,000 mile journey with her pug

Jemma Redden, who lives with multiple sclerosis (MS), is on a mission to walk 5,000 miles over five years for the MS Society

A former Harborough Mail reporter is walking 5,000 miles with her four-legged companion for an epic charity challenge.

Jemma Redden who lives with multiple sclerosis (MS), has completed the first 2,000 miles of her journey, she aims to achieve over five years, along with her pug Max.

The duo are completing the challenge to raise £5,000 for The MS Society.

The 36-year-old, who lives in East Langton, was first diagnosed with the neurological condition 13 years ago.One in 500 people in the UK has MS, which is a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord.Jemma has already completed 1,000 miles for the MS Society in 2015.

She said: “Since then, my MS has progressed. After nearly 10 years of pain and sensory issues, I suddenly had double vision and a lazy eye at the same time. I was dependent on others and I hated it. Luckily, a short course of steroids bought my eyes back to normal, just about.”

Jemma’s decision to take on another 5,000 miles, by 2025, came about during lockdown. She added: “I was feeling low and reflecting on what my legacy might be. I can’t have children and when I looked back at my last charity challenge, I felt proud at what I had achieved and wondered if I could do something on a bigger scale.”

The former reporter has called her walking challenge #Invisible40.

She said: “My last challenge was called #Invisible30 to raise awareness of the invisible condition and celebrate my upcoming birthday and the fact my legs still worked.

“This time, I could see the big 4-0 in the not-too-distant future and decided to set myself a challenge to push myself out of the dark space, celebrate my continued mobility and raise awareness for the invisible condition that is still not widely understood.”

Jemma’s dog, Max, has joined her on the majority of the miles with walks across the country.

The rambling duo are now aiming to reach 3,000 miles by the three-year mark in September.

So far she has raised £270 of her £5,000 target.

Visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jemma-redden to donate to Jemma’s cause.