As she climbed off her bike, exhausted, covered in mud and with legs like jelly, Suzanne Johns couldn't stop smiling.

She had just cycled 72 miles through rain, wind, and up never-ending hills, but she knew it was all worth it, to raise funds and awareness for a charity close to her heart.

Suzanne, 36, has suffered from eczema most of her life and has been in hospital with the condition.

She knows what it feels like to scratch until her skin bleeds - then to keep scratching. Her skin has thinned and toughened after years of what she calls nail abuse' and patches on her arms and legs no longer tan because of scar tissue. In the past, after sleepless nights of constant scratching and applying creams, she hasn't wanted to get out of bed because she was so sore.

For Suzanne, the support and advice of the National Eczema Society has been a lifeline. So when she agreed to take part in a fundraising bike ride she had just one charity in mind.

"Eczema takes over your life, it affects everything, and support is vital to help you cope," she says. "I don't know how I'd manage without the National Eczema Society; even in today's internet age with information at the touch of a button, nothing replaces the expertise of a charity devoted to helping people with the condition.

"I go to a Bradford support group too. My son has eczema and I share experiences with other parents in the same situation."

Suzanne and her partner Colin Watson, 34, recently did the Great Yorkshire Bike Ride from Wetherby Racecourse to Filey Brigg. They raised £350, divided between various Yorkshire charities and the National Eczema Society.

"I'd never done anything like it before," says Suzanne. "It started at a family party on New Year's Eve when my cousins and I drunkenly decided to do a charity challenge. Before I knew it the thrill of signing up for a mammoth cycle ride turned to panic as the reality sank in.

Suzanne and Colin did hours of training, cycling around their Gomersal home, then the big day arrived. "The worst bit was the first ten miles," says Suzanne. "Going up the A1 at Wetherby, which is a steady incline, all I could think was: Another 60 miles to go!' "Seasoned cyclists flew past but Colin kept at my pace, despite the fact that he's done the ride five times. I felt I was holding him back but having him there really helped - although he did tell me there'd only be a couple of hills and I was dismayed to discover there was actually a succession of them!

"After six hours 40 minutes we crossed the finishing line together, along with my cousin Claire, which was wonderful. My other cousin, Laura, rode like an athlete and finished an hour before us, despite falling off and injuring herself."

The gruelling ride was worth it when Suzanne approached the end and saw her family, including her children Melissa, seven, and Ben, four. "I'm proud of the fact that, apart from official drinks breaks and lunch, I didn't stop. I cycled slower than people were walking uphill - but I kept on that bike! I had a burst of energy at the end, but the rain had left the finishing line like a quagmire. I heard a big cheer from my family followed by guffaws of laughter as I arrived splattered with mud.

"My legs felts like jelly and I couldn't speak, but I felt euphoric. It was a physical and mental challenge, a great feeling of achievement. I'd wanted to do some significant fundraising for the National Eczema Society and since meeting Colin, who's a keen cyclist, I've discovered I love cycling. It's been a wonderful way to raise money, and awareness, for the charity."

Suzanne, managing director of Approach PR in Bradford, describes the torment of living with eczema as "like a million tiny creatures running around under your skin."

"The scratching starts behind the knees, elbows, creases in the arms, then spreads to ankles, calves, thighs, buttocks, chest, neck, face and ears. Everywhere, really," she says. "The times I've been told not to scratch: Don't do that it looks terrible,' Sit on your hands,' Try to relax.' "Relax? When your body feels like it's on fire? When your skin is weeping because you've scratched so much? When you're shivering because you've lost so much body heat through inflammation?

"One little scratch develops into a frenzied clawing until I'm exhausted, sore and feel a failure for giving in."

Eczema affects around one in 12 adults and one in five children in Britain, and it's increasing. It leaves skin dry, hot and itchy, leading it to become broken, raw and bleeding.

"Sufferers are torn between scratching and the resulting pain, inflammation and bleeding," says Suzanne. "You feel desperate and guilty, it can have a devastating effect on relationships, school, family life and work."

Suzanne's eczema flare-ups are caused by stress, contact with animals or detergents or "sometimes just for the sheer hell of it."

"I get scared during flare-ups because with my own bare hands I'm mutilating myself. Imagine scratching the back of your knees, feeling it wet beneath your fingers as you draw blood; clawing into your chest to find you've gouged away chunks of skin, leaving trails where your nails have torn through; or standing up to find you can't straighten your legs because the skin will split. But still you can't stop scratching."

As eczema sufferers know, night times can be worse. "The warmth of the body is contained in the bedding which irritates the skin," says Suzanne. "Nights of constant scratching, smearing moisturising cream onto skin that after just minutes will dry out again have left me tired, irritable and depressed. I once dreamt my body was a map of the world, each part of me a different country. By scratching my legs, I felt I was helping poor people in that country.' My mind was making me scratch subconsciously through my sleep."

Suzanne has tried countless remedies, including additive-free diets, faith healing, even drinking soot mixed with milk - "for the sulphur content." She now uses emollients - medical moisturiser - and a mild steroid cream. "There are misconceptions about steroid cream but for me it offers relief within a few hours of using it. My skin calms down enough to take the edge off my panic."

Support from family and friends is important for eczema sufferers. "Colin has been fantastic and I have a supportive family but there are many people who don't," says Suzanne. "Support from organisations like the National Eczema Society is important to stop people feeling isolated."

Next week Suzanne is holding a pyjama party' for the charity. "This year's National Eczema Week, in September, is themed The Great Pyjama Party'," says Suzanne. "As anyone with eczema knows, there's nothing like comfort and a good night's sleep. Pyjamas symbolise that. I'm holding an Eczema Extravaganza with children's games, stalls, refreshments and information - I'll be in my pyjamas and anyone else who wants to come in pyjamas is welcome!"

  • The Eczema Extravaganza' is at 4 Dalby Court, Gomersal, on Saturday July 14 from 10am to 1pm. For more details ring Suzanne on (01274) 870420. The Bradford Eczema and Psoriasis Support Group meets on Wednesday at the dermatology department, St Luke's Hospital, at 7.30pm.

For more information about eczema ring the National Eczema Society on 0870 241 3604 or visit www.eczema.org