Hello! I am delighted you've come to check out my page and I really hope you read this and get a true understanding of what this challenge means to me.  If you are able to support via a donation, thank you so much, but I am also seriously grateful for everyone's support for the charity and this challenge whether you are able to donate or not.  I am one of a number of people in our team to take on the Yorkshire Three Peaks while raising money for DS Achieve and all support will be very gratefully received.

Most people know that I was one of the parents of a child with Down Syndrome who started DS Achieve, back in 2017 before we became official in 2018, and now I manage the day-to-day charity and the services we offer to families and professionals.  Being a mum, and especially mum to Tom, has changed me in so many ways and I am incredibly passionate about 1) making life easier for parents to support and help their children with Down Syndrome reach their potential, and 2) providing opportunities for children and young people with Down Syndrome to develop their skills and reach their potential.  And that's what DS Achieve aims to do and is doing, with every penny we receive.

When Kat & Lisa suggested organising a Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge to support DS Achieve, I was a bit blown away by their amazing offer - and the planning and detail they had already pulled together!  Their determination and excitement about taking on 25 miles and three mountains in one day was catching and I soon found myself signing up.  I have never done anything like this before. I hate running but I quite like a walk so I thought it would be fine.  Then I tried walking up a few small hills.  I now think maybe I need to do some considerable training!  It will be a big physical challenge for me and it will take a lot of work to get ready and then complete the hike.  The Yorkshire Three Peaks includes the mountains of Whernside (736 m or 2,415 ft), Ingleborough (723 m or 2,372 ft) and Pen-y-ghent (694 m or 2,277 ft) and you walk them all in ONE DAY!  Every penny donated will help me push through when I feel like giving up, I promise.

I am very grateful to Kat & Lisa for organising and to everyone who has joined the challenge to raise money for DS Achieve.  

Let's raise as much as we can!

Michelle xx

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