Today would have been our son Theo’s 12th birthday. Theo was not only our son but a grandson, brother, nephew, friend, classmate, pupil (teachers pet) and an inspiration to so many people.

Theo was born on 30th August 2012 and suffered a very severe birth injury during delivery which left him with Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy.

Theo was with us for only 5 short years, but we filled them with love, care and lots of giggles along the way.

We always focused on what Theo could do and made it our passion to engage him in all aspects of our family life. We travelled, went on bike rides, went swimming, explored safari parks to name but a few activities he loved. He had a particular love for giraffes and always had a cheeky smile when he encountered them at zoos or on telly!

When Theo was 4 it was time for him to start thinking of school and he found such a special place at Chailey Heritage School. Here, Theo was able to develop and learn new skills and particularly loved making music there!

Chailey is an incredibly special place and it’s impossible to go there and not smile! Everyone who works there is passionate about the children and the growth and development of each child is testament to the individual focus and attention that each of the teachers, carers and medical staff put in every day! There is a buzz of enjoyment and fun wherever you go around the place.

All the essential educational, developmental and play equipment is funded through charitable donations and without these donations Chailey wouldn’t be Chailey.

In the year of the Olympics and Paralympics my three brothers, Ali, Tim and Jon and myself have decided to take on our biggest challenge yet and take on the Barcelona Ironman this October to raise £10,000 for Chailey to help fund equipment for the kids there.

The Ironman includes a 3.8km sea swim, followed by a 180km bike ride and then a full marathon…just writing that down scares me…The boys have been training hard…myself..hard(ish) but we are all committed to getting round in the cut off time of 15 hours! (I found that out quite late in the day)! Our wives, girlfriends, kids, friends and colleagues have been supportive, if not encouraging, to see us disappear for hours on end to go cycling, running and swimming!

One of Theo’s doctors once said to me that due to his dystonia, his body goes through a marathon each day of his life so if he was able to still giggle and smile whilst doing one every day then I’m sure we can handle the challenge for one day and hopefully have a little giggle along the way too.

Since the day Theo was born, our lives and especially his went on a different path. He taught us all to achieve, to fight, to win and to have fun, even when times couldn’t seem tougher. I try to keep Theo’s message alive in me in all that I do at home, with friends and family and at work.

We’re going to do it for you, you cheeky little monkey! And with a smile on our faces!!

Please find the link below to give what you can to support a charity that makes other kids smile and giggle just like Theo did!!

Love you all,

Rich, Tim, Ali, Jon

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I am raising funds for Chailey Heritage Foundation, a pioneering charity dedicated to enriching the lives of young people with complex physical disabilities and health needs. Its vision is simple and clear: Every young person will be given every opportunity to make progress towards fulfilment. Your donation allows them to buy the highly specialist equipment these young people need to pursue their potential and access every possible opportunity for independence. To find out more please visit www.chf.org.uk.