Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.

On 22nd June 2013, Alex Nicholson, Ajit Deshpande and Angus Goldie-Scot will be attempting to conquer the Yorkshire Three Peaks - Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough.

The walk is 24.5 miles (39.2km) long and takes in over 5,000 feet (1,600 metres) of climbing. Despite this, we are attempting to complete the walk in under 12 hours - an ambitious feat of human endurance, I'm sure you will agree.

Any money we raise will be donated to Daisy Chain - a charity based in Norton near Stockton on Tees, that specialises in supporting families affected by autism. It is a very worthy charity which relies completely on donations from the public.

So please dig deep and donate now.

 

Case Study - Beau

Kindly provided by Tim Snowdon, Senior Design Engineer, Cummins Darlington Engine Plant.

 

My Son Beau is now 6 and suffers from Kabuki Syndrome and is severely Autistic. Both my wife and I find it very difficult to raise our son given his condition and we often wonder if others are aware of the struggle that we, and other families alike, have when raising a child with such special needs.

We are often asked by people, 'What's it like to have a child with special needs?'. To be honest, our response to this question can often be limited due to the lack of words available to describe such an experience for us. However, a few years ago we found this poem. We think this helps others relate to our situation and talks about the fact that life isn't always how you envisage it to be.

　

Holland by by Emily Perl Kingsley

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Colosseum. The Michelangelo David. The Gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Daisy Chain

The simple truth is that people do not understand, they stare, make comments and even laugh, which can be hard for us at times. Daisy Chain offers a friendly place were everyone understands your situation and the needs of your child; a place of rest bite where families such as us can go and gain support, whilst trying to have fun and live some part of a normal life. For me, there aren't enough charities in the local area that offer the support that Daisy Chain do and by giving a little, we gain a lot.

Please help us to keep Daisy Chain going and show your support in what they do by making a donation to the 3 Peaks Challenge.