James suffered from a severe lack of oxygen at birth which has had lasting effects on his physical development. He is diagnosed with dystonic cerebral palsy which presents itself as stiffness in his arms, therefore he cannot use his arms effectively to play or feed himself. He also has other physical difficulties including weak core muscles which means he cannot sit independently, stand or walk. We are also unsure as to whether James will communicate through speech in the future. Despite his difficulties James is a delightful and determined little boy who will go far in life with the right early intervention and support.

As we progress further into James' journey we are learning that the more we can do for him now, the more chance there is of him being able to lead an independant life in the future. We are already funding weekly physiotherapy as we only receive one session of physiotherapy every 6 weeks from the NHS. We would like to consider additional intensive therapies and specialist equipment to support James further.

Many friends and family have expressed that the next time I do 'one of those runs' for charity they would prefer any money raised to go directly to James to support his development and disability. So, here we are...

I will be doing the a Great North Run on 10th September and I have been training hard to complete it in close to 2 hours. This will mean hard work to sustain a fast enough pace and much mental strength when the going gets tough.

If you would like to support my cause, motivate me or make me run faster please feel free to donate any pennies that will in turn support James' journey to independance.