The house we live in has two flights of stairs and I feel I have trained for the Great Wall Walk by climbing up and down them!

Up to feed the baby...down to answer the door...up to make the beds...down-up-down...

I would love to put this training into doing something so different and achieve an ambition that is beyond my dreams!

My husband and I are foster carers and have had about 100 children placed with us and our family. We have four children of our own and the two youngest have never known life without other people's children in their lives.

We have hardly had a break during that time, when my children heard about this sponsored trip they said: 'Go for it Mum!'

They said: 'You can roll all your wishes into one trip, your love for children and giving them a chance, travel to a place you would love to see and walking!

'We'll take care of the children with Dad, It's all worked out! Just get on and write your application!'

Our friends are always telling us we should write a book about our lives as foster carers. This trip could spur me on and add another dimension to our fostering achievements.

We have so many tales to tell, sad, funny and moving. Each day has been a rich adventure; it would be fantastic to add the walk as another adventure to our lives.

I heard about this walk through a family who adopted a little boy from us, and we have been great friends for years.

The greatest part of our fostering is that so many of the children that have been with us have remained part of our lives and are still close to us.

Life-story work and working with birth and adoptive parents, helping them through a difficult time and working towards a new life for the children has been our whole life for the past 19 years.

We have adopted one child who was placed with us when he was a baby. Unfortunately an adoption went wrong and we were ready to pick up the pieces.

Simon is now nearly 12 and doing well, but his sad life-story could be a book and a lesson in the rights of a child in care. The ending, hopefully, will be happy.

When we people say 'How can you part with them?', we reply: Yes it can be hard but if we hadn't cared for these children then we would not have had the opportunity and chance to be part of their lives and help them - and that is so incredibly rewarding.

This hopeful application is sent by Avril Head, nearly 49, fit and happy and healthy - likes the great outdoors, walking, camping, travel, and writing - and would love the chance to walk the Great Wall.