Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Our daughter, Eva, was born in May 2007 with just a thumb on her left hand.  As a family, through Reach we have found a fantastic support group and network of people to talk to who are in similar circumstances to us.  The chances are highly unlikely that we would have met any of these people should we not have been put in these circumstances; however, not only have we been able to meet and talk to people similarly placed but as a family we have made some close friends. 

Each year, babies are born in the missing part of one or both arms and hands.  Added to these are a small number of children who lose limbs or parts of limbs due to traumatic incidents or necessary surgery.  For many of the families of these children it is the first time that they will have come across such a situation. Neither Kate nor I nor anyone in either of our families has any history such as this or, for that matter, of anything similar and we hadn't come across it before it happened to us.   

Reach aims to provide affected families with the opportunity to get together, share experiences and information about what to do (or not to do), where to go for advice regarding treatment and in short, to help them realise that they are not alone.  

And that's why someone who wasn't blessed with a runner's build is running the Amsterdam Marathon!   

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 taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity. 

Thanks for your support, 

Alan