I'm undertaking this (half) marathon because my son Noah, 4, didn't ask for his challenge. He's been diagnosed with Global Developmental Delay; effectively an undiagnosed condition which presents itself as motor and speech difficulties. As he is today, we don't know if he'll ever be able to walk unaided and what level of verbal communication he's going to reach; what we do know is that, even in his frustration, he's a happy child. He loves life and we couldn't imagine a world without him in it.

Part of this love for life can be attributed to the wonderful work Rutland House School for Parents do. They are a non-profit organisation who help children with cerebral palsy, downs syndrome, and other learning difficulties.

Through weekly sessions - both one-on-one and in a group - SfP have given our family endless, enduring support. They've given us as parents the skills to help Noah move forward in his difficulties and also to cope with the world into which we have been thrust. We've met a number of fantastic people and families, a lot of whom we consider friends for life; Noah's certainly taken a shine to the other children in his group!

All this said, the centre can't keep providing support for families and children without the donations of outside parties; they aren't funded by the government so to keep running they rely on donations and fund-raising.

Please dig deep, spread the word, and sponsor me as I throw myself round a thirteen mile marathon course! Thanks for reading.

[Edit - 28th August]
Noah's starting school next week! It's nearly his 5th birthday and, as such, he's starting at a wonderful school full time. It's a scary proposition for all of us but we know he is going to have the best time. We know that, without the help of SfP, we might not be as well prepare for it as we are (even though we're still filled with trepidation and nervous excitement!)