This will be my 6th and Andrew's 4th Marathon for The National Autistic Society.  It will be Claire’s 3rd marathon and 2nd one for The National Autistic Society and Carwyn's 1st ever full marathon. 

We are very aware that this is a massive challenge especially on the back of lockdown and all the stresses that that has brought but when we consider the challenges that face individuals with autism and their families on a daily basis - we are more than up for taking on this challenge.

We have started back training  but we still have a long way to go.  We all know how many training miles are needed and how much effort will go into our fundraising but we are ready for the challenge.  We did really well with our fundraising in 2020 and have set a target this year of £20,000.

The reason that we fundraise for the National Autistic Society is because my son and Andrew's nephew Josh was diagnosed with autism in January 2017.  He is undoubtedly our Reason to Run.  We would not change Josh for anything - he is a clever, kind boy with a wicked sense of humour.  He loves numbers and Super Mario.  He is a massive fan of the Chase and quiz shows. He is doing so well at School.  He has learnt to read and write and proving to be a popular little boy especially with the girls.  However, autism faces him and us as a family with daily challenges that we work hard to overcome whether it be at home, at School, on days out or with the support that is available.  Me and Andrew have become great friends with Claire over the last year through our marathon journeys and Carwyn has always been part of our team and represented autism charities in the Cardiff Half Marathon.  We are looking forward to pulling together and taking on this year's London Marathon in October as a team of 4.  We are so grateful for the support that we always have from our families and friends and the local community who have fully embraced autism awareness and always supported our us and our fundraising.

Over the last 4 years, we have developed a close bond with our 'Autism family' and this challenge is for them as much as it is for Josh. To us, autism may mean different but it definitely does not mean less.  

However, there is still a long way to go in terms of opportunities, support and acceptance.  Lockdown has been particularly difficult and has highlighted how lonely being an autism parent can sometimes feel even when you have a loving family around you.  I (along with a lot of other families) have experienced first hand how stressful it is to fight for the support that is needed in School and In everyday life, to feel judged and most prevalently to see Josh struggle with sensory overload, anxiety and have difficulties making sense of the world around him.  He works so hard every single day and meets these challenges head on.  I want him to know that as a family we will always have his back.  We want to show all of our children that if you work hard enough - you can achieve anything you want and sometimes if you want to see a change for the better, you have to take things into your own hands. We will always support our children and this is our way of supporting Josh.

The National Autistic Society provides support for Josh, for us as a family and also to many other families that are in similar situations.  They also raise awareness of autism and fight for a better world for children and adults who are affected by autism.  We are lucky to have local branches who support our local community.

Thank you so much for reading our Reasons to Run  - we would be so grateful for any donations regardless how small to help us to achieve our targets.  We will be organising a lot of events in the run up to the marathons and would love to see you there.  Thank you so much for your support so far xxxx

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