Community champion Anne Swanston hosts a Local Ladies lunch that raises thousands

Today is the first time I have shared my experience of living with Crohn's disease publicly. After life-saving surgery, I have had to make constant adjustments to my life in order to manage the disease, but I hope that by speaking up about it, others will have the confidence to pursue their ambitions. Sharing my personal experiences was emotional but also a real privilege: it is vital that we raise awareness of these debilitating conditions and I am thrilled to be supporting this local fundraising event for a charity that I hold very close to my heart.

This event and Anne's ball are both amazing and I'm glad to be able to share my experiences with everyone. When I was first diagnosed, I was desperate to find others who were going through the same thing as me. Whilst in hospital after having surgery, discovered Crohn's & Colitis UK and hundreds of people who were going through the same thing as me. By documenting and sharing my experiences I wanted to show others that even though I live with a stoma, that I am still normal and how you can have a great life. I'm really grateful to be able to help others and give people an insight into what it is like to live with Ulcerative Colitis.

I am thrilled that the latest ladies' lunch has been such a success. It was great to have so many people in one room raising awareness and money for these debilitating conditions. It is so important to support this charity that does some amazing work supporting those with the conditions as well as funding research to try and find a cure! I'm already looking forward to my next fundraising event, my charity ball in May.