In 2015, I walked from where I work at Zoopla HQ into Southwark council's head offices, after calling an emergency meeting 20 minutes beforehand (afterwards, I remember feeling like I had a new superpower). Our son Iri's profound disabilities and their impact had left us with the council's designation 'family in crisis'. Wow. How did that happen?

Iri's first school had done all they could but it was clear that they were unable to accommodate his needs so, under a new head, we were told to look elsewhere. Tara, Iri's teacher followed us.

After a short time home schooling with Tara, some emergency relief workers walking out on us, and our long search for a new school ... we were left with just three potential options, nationally. We contacted Parkwood Hall , very luckily just 13 miles down the road in Kent.

I’d been turned away from specialist schools on the spot so, by this point could only be hopeful. After some discussions and special arrangements, Parkwood Hall took on their youngest student as a weekly boarder, Irial Allalouf. Yes!

Iri joined when he was just 7 years old. Over the past 2 years he and his teachers have made magical progress, overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges, each and every day. Truly transformative stuff.

The staff at Parkwood Hall demonstrate an unparalleled level of commitment and belief in the children they devote their days to. You would only need to witness the Christmas play to see that. The school’s curriculum is entirely bespoke and tailored to each child. Students are taken up to the age of 19 and are effectively prepared for life, given the tools and experiences they need to take a meaningful part in society, whether that be at work or play. Everyone is included. Everyone.

This year the school plans to improve and build new facilities for it’s older students. Here’s what’s at the top of the list:

If you ever visited the school you’d see (and feel) how much these children need the school's specialist attention, care and infrastructure to give them the best possible chance in life.

I’m a parent governor at Parkwood Hall and endeavour to help in any way I can. This year I’m going to run 1000km to raise (at least) £2018 to help pay for the elevator. I calculated I need to earn just under £2.02/km to reach my target. If you could sponsor me for some kms that would be awesome :)

You can keep track of my progress or wait until the end of the year when I will share some sort of statistics infographic, courtesy of my favorite website Strava ...