Extract from an article in the Daily Mail 15th October 2011

My wife came home the other day from a shopping trip to buy presents for our daughter's birthday. It was obvious she was upset after struggling to find anything suitable. "This wasn't how it was meant to be", she said.

Even now after all these years, it is the small, mundane things that make you stumble, which jolt dark thoughts buried deep in the recesses of your mind.

Tomorrow our daughter celebrates her 18th birthday, that landmark moment when a child turns almost overnight into an adult. There will be a small party and presents.

But she will not toast her big day in champagne, nor dance the night away with friends. She will not open her presents, blow out candles on her cake nor laugh as we recall happy childhood memories.

In 18 years our daughter has never spoken a sentence. She has never strolled by our side, ridden a bike, sat an exam, enjoyed a meal, been on a date with a boyfriend or a sleepover with girlfriends.

She is severley disabled and cannot walk or talk. She is blind, endures daily epileptic fits and needs one to one round the clock care.

But for all the trials tribulations, all that really matters is we still have our wonderful daughter who has brought so much unexpected joy into our lives. Happy birthday, Iona Birrel.

There are 100,000 families in the UK like Iona's trying to clear a path throught the undergrowth of the welfare state that fails too many of the most vulnerable people.

"Footprints" (Kent Kids Miles of Smiles part of the Strode Park Foundation) helps support families with children like Iona in Kent providing much needed nights off and respite care whilst giving the children the chance to enjoy as much of life out there as is possible.

On behalf of our daughter Katy I would like to thank all the staff at Footprints. I don't know what we would do without you..........xxxx

On Sunday 6th November 2011 I am running the New York Marathon to raise money for Footprints and for all the children that they help care for, please visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Thank you

Michael