Hi everyone!

So ... What Am I Doing?
A 14-day Himalayan charity trek from Lukla in Nepal to Everest Base Camp - Feb/Mar 2020.

Why Am I Doing It?
You probably already know how proud my wife and I are to have been blessed with our fabulous son Harry (aka The Ginger Ninja) almost 9-years ago! I know! Where has that time gone?

Like many boys his age, our little pocket-rocket is determined, inquisitive, boisterous, a complete tech-head and unequivocally unique!
He just also happens to have Down Syndrome, partial sight, a thyroid defect and social anxiety.

Yet with an incalculable amount of support from his mum, family, friends, two schools and some fabulous support groups, Harry manages to tackle these additional challenges head-on. And I’m delighted to say that he’s making fabulous progress both socially and educationally. He’s already got his future mapped out in front of him so we’re very much looking forward to him becoming a chef, getting married to his long-standing girlfriend, having twin boys and acquiring a snazzy red sports car! And why not, eh? Our boy is going to be whomever he wants to be, whether we like it or not, haha!

Whom Am I Doing It For?
There are also a number of agencies and charities that support us as a family too; far numerous to mention really. But this year I’m looking to support two charities.

Sadly I wasn’t able to set up a dual funded page, so have had to create one page for each charity. But since this is a self-funded trip you can be assured that whichever charity you choose, ALL monies raised with go directly to them.

• HENSHAWS is a Manchester-based charity that helps people living with visual impairments and sight loss. Not many people realise, but Harry is registered as partially sighted, having been born with a condition called Nystagmus, which causes his eyes to constantly wobble. This obviously has an effect on his vision and therefore his ability to learn. The support, advice and training Henshaws provide can be life-changing since it enables people and their families to build skills, develop confidence and look forward to fulfilling and rewarding futures; despite their visual challenges. https://www.henshaws.org.uk/
  
  
• THE DOWN'S SYNDROME ASSOCIATION is a charity that provides a wealth of information, training, resources and support channels to parents of children who have Down Syndrome; as well as adult individual, families, carers, schools and professionals. They are almost entirely self-funded and rely heavily on voluntary donations. https://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk
  
  

The work that these two charities do and the positive effect they have on our family and hundreds of families like ours is incredible! My plan is to raise awareness of the work they do at the same time as raising as much money as possible to help them to fund future projects.