Crawley and Leicester’s own Mo Farah and Paula Ratcliffe* will be running the Leicester half Marathon at the end of the month. 

Amit, and Niara’s favourite person in the world, her uncle Paz (Kaka), will be running to raise awareness and money for Positive About Down Syndrome (PADS), a charity that means so much to us. This month it's all extra Special as October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

PADS is a teeny, tiny charity that has made a huge impact on families of children with Down Syndrome. From the time of a pre-natal diagnosis to the time when kids go to school (and now beyond), PADS continues to make life a little easier for new and old parents to find the help and resources they need. And by this, it’s not just about the kids, but also the health and well being of the parents.

PADS works closely with maternity units to ensure pre-natal news is delivered positively and without the foreboding it once had. That outdated phrases and prejudices are no longer used and shared. It offers counselling services to parents who may have had a post-natal diagnosis, Speech and Language support, Physio Support, guidance with potty training and Ophthalmology, and Occupational Therapy. Loads of these providers are mums who have kids with Down Syndrome and are giving up their free time to help other mums at a time when resources are not readily available due to cutbacks, and other professionals are supporting us at a subsidised rate. Even opportunities for exercises run by Tom (who has Down Syndrome) and a yearly event for all us of to meet and not feel like a minority. When you have a child that has additional needs, charities like PADS and the families within, are your everything.  

We as a family have used every single one of these services, and whilst PADS exist, we will continue to use them and support new parents who are starting on their journey. PADS does not have the exposure of other larger organisations that get access to more funding, so it really is down to us to raise as much as we can to support them, so they can continue to support us.

So, major props to Amit and Paz for taking on the half Leicester Marathon. I can barely walk to the local shops without wanting to stop for a break and a snack. But over the last couple of years they have regularly run a number of 5k’s and 10k’s and did the Leicester half Last year (IN TORRENTIAL RAIN!) too. This year I have manage to persuade them to raise money for PADS!

*couldn’t think of another British marathon runner!

Thanks for reading so far and thanks for your support. I know times are hard but know that it is all appreciated. 

** photo credit to Capture a Dream Photography as well.