Thank you for taking the time to read this. 

 I started this journey because I wanted to give back to all the people and places that have helped support me and my family over the years. I have dedicated a big part of my life to help raise money for a number of important local charities including;

·       Hop Skip and Jump Swindon

·       National Autistic Society

·       Dogs for the disabled

·       Koala’s Opportunity Group Swindon

·       Brimble Hill School Swindon

·       Uplands School Swindon and Greatwood.

Monies raised so far have been in the region of £45,000. This is a fantastic amount of money but I am not stopping there…

This year is our 10th anniversary of fundraising and to celebrate, ‪on the 1st September 2018‬ - a good friend and I will take part in Trekfest, a 25km trek across The Peak District National Park, Derbyshire. We hope to raise money for something close to home and very important to me.

 At the age of 3, my son Jamie was diagnosed with severe Autism, global development delay, severe learning difficulties and sensory processing disorder. Jamie is also non-verbal so communication has always been very frustrating for him, and for us to understand his needs.

 Jamie is turning 16 this year, and has been making steady progress with his development – he now says some words and has a great passion for music! Jamie’s Brother Joe is 10 years old and also has a diagnosis of Autism. Joe’s Autism is high functioning which means he can lead a relatively normal day. However, he is a very sensitive little boy who loves to please. Joe will always need to be reassured and supported with day to day life. He’s a credit to our little family.

 Having two children with very different disabilities keeps my Husband and me on our toes! My husband Dave and I both work and do everything we can to make sure our boys are happy in their environment. This has not been easy due to me unfortunately suffering with mental health issues. Keeping my self together has sometime been a struggle – there has been some very tough times but I have kept myself strong – with love and support. We are very fortunate to have support from family. Our parents play a massive part in our boy’s lives and we are very grateful for that. We also have amazing friends who have gone through our journey with us.

 My fundraising is a therapy for me, giving back to who have helped my family. It is something else I can get my mind focused on. So why are me and Anna going to put our bodies through a gruelling trek across one of the countries toughest terrains?

 We are hoping to raise enough money to build Jamie his own music room. Jamie has always had a massive passion for music from a very young age. Around 5 years ago Jamie started to mime to music and news videos. We started to get more noises and sounds from him so I decided to have a chat with Jamie’s school music teacher to discuss having music lessons outside of school.

 Jamie showed great interest in the drums and we encouraged this. The joy and excitement he got from playing was marvellous. Every week Jamie improved and now he just amazes me each time he plays.Over a year ago we had to find a new music teacher as Jamie’s old teacher was unable to teach him anymore. This was a big change for Jamie but after a while he adjusted well. Jamie doesn’t read music; he listens to the beat of a song and then copies it. You have to see Jamie to believe how good he is. Obviously I’m very biased but super proud of how far he has come. 

So with this year being 10 years of fundraising for me I would really love to allow Jamie to flourish in his own environment. With help from you all, we are hoping to build a music room for Jamie in our garden. He will be able to play until his heart’s content.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story.

Jamie Drumming https://youtu.be/KJ8DYfHjrWY

Latest video 😊 https://youtu.be/zcsWdZM87-Y