Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. I've decided to jump out of a plane from 15,000 feet (almost 3 miles up in the air, and 4,000 feet higher than the regular jump height of 11,000 feet!) to raise money for a charity that is close to me and my family. 

As you may or may not know, my daughter, Georgia, was born in October 2020 along with her twin sister, Imogen. Before they were born however, my wife, Michelle and I found out that Georgia has Down's syndrome. 

The news was a huge shock to both of us. Michelle attended a pre-natal scan as normal and was told that Georgia had an abnormal build up fluid behind her neck. Further tests confirmed the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21 (Down's syndrome is also known as trisomy 21). 

We were soon put in touch with Down Syndrome Liverpool (DSL), a charity run by parents and carers that not only aims to support people who are affected by Down's syndrome, but seeks to enhance the lives of people with the condition. DSL have provided invaluable support to Michelle and I over the last couple of years, alongside many other families, including providing advice and support to new parents, organising monthly parent/carer groups, funding speech and language courses, and supporting the training and development of professionals who work with people who have Down's syndrome. The team also organise social events that allow the community to come together, have fun and share experiences. 

I don't know what we would have done without DSL's support, and can only imagine how much more difficult things would have been without it. DSL relies on donations and fundraising to maintain the charity and enable it to do the wonderful work it does. For that reason, I've decided to do something I've always wanted to do and jump (or more likely, fall!) out of a plane, and hopefully raise some money in the process. So please give generously, and thank you for your support.

Matthew