Down’s Syndrome Oxford (DSO) is an absolutely fantastic charity supporting children with Down’s syndrome and their families in Oxfordshire. We have been involved with and supported by DSO since Finn was born nearly 6 years ago. Through DSO we have met some wonderful people, received huge support from families sharing similar experiences to ours, and attended valuable training and groups focussed on enhancing Finn's development  and learning.

The Elliot’s Shed project is part of DSO, and was set up in memory of a beautiful little boy called Elliot Cornfield. We had the privilege and pleasure of meeting Elliot because he happened to have Down's syndrome. Tragically Elliot passed away in 2015 aged just 2 ½ years old following a long battle with leukaemia.

Elliot’s Shed was donated to DSO by Elliot's parent's, Kat and Seth Cornfield and stores specialist equipment, sensory toys, and resources aimed at supporting and developing children with Down’s syndrome. Families can borrow items for their child to use and return them to be used by others. It's a brilliant resource and I am very proud to be part of the team involved in running it. I believe it will make a difference to many children with Down's syndrome and their families, and will also help us to always remember the brave and funny, fabulous little Elliot.

I made the decision to run a Marathon in order to support DSO and Elliot's Shed and  I have found it a massive challenge. Running is hard and I am no natural athlete! I am determined to do this and I have had lots of encouragement from friends and family throughout this journey. I will be running the Dublin Marathon on Sunday 29th October and would be very grateful if you could sponsor me and help me raise funds for Elliot's Shed. Thank you so much. Helen x