I am very proud to be running the world famous TCS London Marathon 2024, 26.2 miles through the iconic streets of London, as a member of Team Autism and helping to raise vital funds for the National Autistic Society.

Having completed my first, and what was supposed to be only marathon, (Manchester) aged 61 raising funds for cancer research I ran 2 more in 13 months Athens and Manchester again. That was the end of my punishing marathon training and runs and fund raising I thought. 

However over the past  three years as a family we have become a lot more aware of Autism and the impact it has on so many lives. At around 18months old my grandson Freddy regressed and really started to struggle to process the world around him which caused distress to Freddy and to his family watching. His delayed speech meant it was hard for Freddy to communicate his needs. He struggled to cope with his emotions. Freddy became fixated with particular subjects and had problems processing physical sensations. We also noticed that he disliked change and had regular meltdowns over the slightest thing.

The staff at the nursery he attended were marvellous in supporting Freddy and his family. They helped to introduce us to support groups locally and Freddy has been able to attend events designed specifically for young people with Autism. Freddy started school last year and we were all worried how he would cope but again the school have been brilliant and have additional support available to help Freddy and other children with their specific needs.

Being exposed to how wide ranging the Autistic challenges can be for children, parents and careers alike and how many children are growing up on the Spectrum I realised that there is a huge lack of awareness amongst the population who are not directly affected. 

To help to raise awareness of Autism I applied for a place in Team Autism for the April 2024 London Marathon and despite a tough selection process was thrilled to be invited to run for them. So now the training begins again for what my body tells me has to be my last marathon 🤔 maybe.