We are very happy to report that we have all successfully completed our respective triathlons and half- marathon walk! Thank you to everyone for their encouragement, support, and generosity! 

Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page. We are raising money for Oakley’s Walking Fund (through the Tree of Hope charity) by taking part in either the Human Race MAA Marketing Triathlon or the Great Windsor Half Marathon Walk on Friday 5 July 2013.

Ash will be competing in the Olympic distance triathlon which is a huge 1500m swim, 40km cycle and 10km run.

Jenny will be taking on the Sprint distance triathlon of 750m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run.

Laura has signed up for the Supersprint distance triathlon of 400m swim, 10km cycle and 2.5km run.

Lynne will be taking part in the Great Windsor Park half marathon walk.

We are all putting a lot of hard work and energy into getting ready for the event as none of us have taken part in anything like a triathlon or half marathon before!

The reason we are giving up evenings, mornings, weekends and ending up with all sorts of aches and pains? Helping to raise money towards the £58,000 needed to send Oakley to St Louis, Missouri for an operation to help him walk unaided.

Oakley's dad, Terry Smith, is a colleauge of Jenny, Laura and Lynne at Snell. Annually, Snell employees vote on a 'Charity of the Year' which is then supported by the company with various fundraising activites organised. It's no surprise that this year employees voted to support Terry and his family with fundraising.

 

Here is some information about Oakley from his father Terry......

 

Oakley was born nine weeks early alongside his twin, Mykey. The birth was very eventful and Oakley was born half an hour after Mykey and it was during that time that it is believed that Oakley incurred some brain damage.

 

Oakley is now three years old and has Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy. One of the symptoms is a painful, tightness in his legs, so he is unable to walk independently.

£58,000 is needed to send Oakley to St Louis, Missouri to have Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR), a complicated procedure which involves cutting some of the sensory nerve fibres that come from the muscles and enter the spinal cord, Oakley will also need on going physiotherapy, and return visits for post-op checks. All money raised will go towards this.

 

Eventually after a great deal of hard work and therapy we will all see Oakley’s life change dramatically as he will hopefully walk unaided and pain-free for the first time. This will give him the life that he deserves. Please help us make his dream come true.

 

Oakley is a very determined young boy with an amazing character. To see him walking alongside his twin Mykey would enable him too enjoy his life to the full. Oakley has been accepted for this operation and has a date for the 16th of July 2013.

 

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

 

Again, thank you for taking the time to read his story and any donation(s) you may give.