In 2010 our son Josh was born with a bilateral cleft lip and gum. We had no idea until we first saw him. After a period of quickly adjusting to the reality of what this meant for his future, we were helped immensely by the NHS cleft service, and hugely thankful to the South West Cleft unit who have since that day taken such good care of him.

Josh had reconstructive surgery at just 4 months old, which he bounced back from incredibly well. The job the surgeon did was simply amazing.

Since then Josh has lived with his 'special lip', growing into a fine young man along the way. His life has been punctuated by all kinds of visits to various part of the cleft service, from surgeons to dentists to psychologists.

in 2021 Josh had his second surgery, to perform a bone marrow graft from his hip to his gum, completing his gumline so that orthodontics could begin. Now he has his braces like many other kids his age. We're sure he'll end up with a smile straighter then most of us.

You can see some pictures of his journey in the gallery above.

There will inevitably be more milestones ahead, but we're so proud of how he has simply taken this in his stride all his young life.

Sadly, not all kids like Josh get to have the support of such amazing healthcare.

In 2014 and 2015 I ran no less than 4 marathons and countless half marathons and 10k's, through which I raised in excess of £20,000 for cleft-related charities, due to some incredible support.

Now, after 8 years, and saying 'never again' (as well as turning 50!) it's time to shake off the cobwebs and rediscover my running legs. I'll be running the London Marathon 2024 in support of Smile Train.

Smile Train empowers medical professionals around the world with training, funding, and resources to provide free surgery and other forms of comprehensive cleft care to children in their communities. Their sustainable solution and scalable global health model drastically improve children’s lives, including their ability to eat, breathe, speak, and ultimately thrive.

Supporting Smile Train gives a child access to a full range of cleft services they would have otherwise never received and ultimately the opportunity for a better quality of life.

Here's to giving back once again. Thank you for any support you can help with.