Hello everyone, I hope you can give me a few minutes of your time to read our story.

On the 4th of July 2021 I will be attempting the Ironman UK event. This consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 110-mile bike ride and finishes with a 26.2 mile marathon.

I use the word "attempting" because it's a tough one for even the fittest of people but also at the start of the year I struggled to swim any great distance and due to working 6 days a week training has been limited, but I'm going to give it my best shot!

You may think I'm mad but there is a much bigger reason for me wanting to do such an event; it is to raise money for a wonderful small charity called Circus Starr and here is why...

We are so lucky to have two beautiful and healthy children but our journey was not an easy one to begin with.

On our 12-week scan when Charlotte was pregnant with our first baby we went into the appointment like everyone does expecting to see our little baby on the screen and leave with beaming smiles and a lovely picture to show the world we were expecting our first baby, unfortunately, this wasn't the case for us.

When the sonographer went quiet whilst taking our baby's measurements and her voice cracked, we knew something wasn't right because when she looked at us her eyes filled with tears. A measurement taken during the scan indicated it was likely our baby would have a servere heart defect or a genetic defect which would be fatal or life-limiting. This news crushed us. Taken aside we were left completely heartbroken and as we sat in a separate room speechless and crying, waiting to hear our "options" of what would happen next we were handed two leaflets one read "termination" and the other explained additional testing to see what maybe wrong with our baby which risked "miscarriage".

We couldn't believe it.

20 minutes ago we were sat happily in the waiting room ready to see our baby and now we were faced with possibly losing our firstborn.

For us, at this early stage in pregnancy we felt that continuing to have investigative tests was the next part of our journey, even if the risk was high, we would face the hurdles our path took us down. ( Please note: we are very aware this is a personal choice and we would never judge others who took a different path).

Over the next 18 weeks, we made numerous trips to St Georges hospital in London here the baby was given detailed heart, intestine and bowel scans. Charlotte also went through a procedure (a placenta biopsy) to extract the baby's DNA to try to determine if our baby could defy the odds. We prayed every day for our baby's future.

Every test and every scan the news got better and better, but always with the underlying comment 'we cannot say for sure if your baby will be ok'. We decided to continue with our pregnancy.

Weeks felt like years. From that first 12 week scan, we never knew how our baby would be until he joined us in the world, even then we were advised to keep our eyes open that he reached the baby milestones.

In April 2017 our beautiful baby was born. We thanked the world he was healthy, we will always be eternally thankful and appreciative of this, we know that is not the case for so many other families. We will never fully recover from the heart break our pregnancy caused, we will forever bear those scars.

Shortly after our boy was born I came across Circus Starr. A charity that provides shows for disabled children and their families. Giving them an incredible experience that accommodates the needs of children of all disabilities and treating them like any other. Having been so close to potentially needing the help of charities like this, I have been donating to them every year since our boys birth.

Now I want to do more. I want to try and raise more money. So more children can enjoy things that they offer. Here is a bit about them.

"We believe in a world where anything is possible. We understand that attending mainstream events can be difficult for children with additional needs or families in difficult circumstances which is why we’ve created a tut-free zone; a show in which shouting out, dancing and jumping up and down are expected. At our circus, everyone is absolutely encouraged to let go of their worries, get involved, and be themselves.

We bring all the fun of the circus to children and families that may have found this difficult in the past. We know that a circus is a family event that brings everyone closer, encourages creativity and allows people to become stronger and more able to face life’s challenges head on. We tour the UK bringing the very best in circus talent from around the world and stage 148 incredible, animal-free shows every year."

I do hate asking for money especially as the past 18months has been so hard on so many people.

But I do hope you can all support me by sponsoring me on this physical and mental challenge that is Ironman UK, even if it's a couple of pennies every little will help, I promise you that I will give it my all to complete the event.

Please wish me luck.

Thanks so much for listening to our story.

Chris