Kettering woman with MS takes on Big Purple Dog Walk

A Kettering woman with multiple sclerosis (MS) is taking on a huge challenge next month with her beloved pooches to raise money for a charity close to her heart, MS-UK.

Anjali Silva-Vadgama, 33, from Barton Seagrave, will aim to walk at least 5,000 steps every Sunday through the rolling countryside of Twywell Hills and Dales for the charity’s Big Purple Dog Walk.

This annual event sees hounds up and down the UK don purple bandanas and put their paws to the pavement to help their owners complete walking challenges all through the month of March.

The weekly treks will be no mean feat – since her diagnosis with MS in 2019, Anjali’s mobility has been affected and she needs a walking stick to get around, and sometimes a wheelchair.

But that’s not the only hurdle she’s facing: “I have to be really careful as I don’t re-start my usual MS medication until mid-April,” she says.

“I’ve been on a different drug for the last year because my wife Asha and I are trying for a baby and the fertility treatment I’m on has meant I had to stop my medication.

"I’ve been on a weekly injectable drug instead which has been horrible,” she says.

“Thankfully, the medical board have decided I can go back on my usual treatment soon and carry on with the fertility planning.”

Anjali chose MS-UK because the charity has been a big support since her diagnosis.

The Big Purple Dog Walk encourages everyone with a dog to get outside and exercise a bit more, and the challenges are totally accessible – you just set the activity for the month and off you go.

Living near Twywell Hills and Dales made it easy for Anjali.

She said: “I’ve got three dogs, Bailey, a whippet/collie cross, and Kodi and Nala who are chow chow/mastiff crosses.

“I’m up for the challenge but we usually only make it half as far as this in one day, and then I have to rest on the sofa for the afternoon.”

All dogs who sign up to take part in MS-UK’s challenge receive their very own purple bandana so they can stomp the streets in style.

And if they fundraise more than £100, each pooch will receive a beautiful rosette and a certificate for their achievement.

All money raised will help MS-UK provide support for people affected by multiple sclerosis.

To find out more and sign up, visit www.ms-uk.org/big-purple-dog-walk

Anjali’s JustGiving page is https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/anji-sliva-vadgama