Hi!

As you probably know, my daughter, Nara, has Down's syndrome.

She is a superstar, full of life and laughter. She is also a fighter, which is good, because our society is not set up to allow her and her peers to thrive.

We receive support from the NHS but it's only a fraction of what Nara needs. She has a physio appointment roughly every six months; it's a similar story with occupational therapy and speech & language. Even the professionals readily admit that this nowhere near enough.

Charities shouldn't have to plug that gap, but it's lucky they do. And we are very fortunate to have a brilliant one close by.

Down's South London (DSL) puts on weekly multi-disciplinary therapy sessions for Nara and dozens of other children. These sessions, led by two amazing therapists — hi Beth and Cait! — provide structure, guidance and an invaluable sense of community to so many families.

Remarkably, the sessions are also free to access. DSL is wholly funded by donations and administered by parents.

In October, a few of us will be running the Royal Parks Half to raise money for the charity. It will be used to pay the therapists, rent the space and buy equipment. I supported the runners last year and now it's time for me to show my appreciation for DSL by putting in the hard yards myself.

My good friend Neil is generously giving up his time and energy too. This page is a joint effort; hitting the fundraising target together might even dampen the blow when he inevitably races away from me in the final few kilometres. (Thanks also to our wives, who have done extra childcare to allow us to train and listened to loads of tragically dull conversations about gels, heart rate zones and protein shakes.)

DSL is a major part of Nara's life. She and we would appreciate any contribution, no matter how small.

Thanks,

Jack