First Step Opportunity Group is a small charity based in Hornchurch that seeks to offer support to young children, from birth through to school age, with disabilities and their families living in the London Borough of Havering. 

I had the pleasure of undertaking a work placement at First Step from January 2014 through to the summer of the same year. During that time I was able to witness first hand the fantastic care and support provided by the wonderful staff members.  

What became instantly apparent is that following a diagnosis or a perceived likelihood of a disability or additional needs families can experience uncertainty, shock and trepidation about their child and their life chances. First Step exists to provide help in this time, extending a compassionate and experienced hand to support the whole family from the start of each child’s life.   

First Step provides direct support for each child via specialised early education settings tailored to meet the unique needs of each child. This aims to foster each child's natural abilities by identifying strengths and encouraging them to grow and develop further. The aim is to support children in learning all the skills they can to enable them to fully and actively participate in life alongside their families and peer group. First Step also utilises further specialised services to support each child's development such as the sensory room or music therapy. 

For the families First Step provides information and advice regarding a whole range of topics ranging. They can direct families to further specialised support, i.e. Speech & Language therapy, identify agencies that provide equipment and adaptive technology and counselling sessions to name a few.  

The essence at the heart of First Step is Community - it is a place where families can come together to support each, share their experiences and learn from each other about the challenges that their children, and they as a family, may face in the future. It is a place where life-long friendships are begun, for the children and the families as a whole. The children, families and staff together create a warm, nurturing and supportive environment - essentially they form one large and extended family.

This is a wonderful charity, where the staff do amazing work in providing much needed support to children and families during the 'first steps' of a child's journey through life - please support me to support First Step in continuing its fine work by sponsoring me when I undertake the London Marathon on April 26th 2015. Any and every donation will be greatly appreciated, as a small locally based charity a little truly does go a long way. I wholeheartedly appreciate your support and thank you from the bottom of my heart - as a brother of a young man with Downs Syndrome this charity truly strikes a chord with me and having had the pleasure of being part of it for some time I cannot praise it highly enough.