I am Simon Barr, Founder of the WhiteTrees Group, who provide residential therapeutic care and specialist education to vulnerable young people in Hertfordshire & Essex.

I spent time as a child living in the care system and also had periods of homelessness as a child and young adult.

I struggled in school with dyslexia and undiagnosed ADHD and because of this my educational experience was shocking.  I attended 5 senior schools during my high school years.

I believed that I was unable to achieve what other people around me could in life and wrote myself off at about the age 19, thinking my life was over.

After this, during a series of events that happened, I realised by age 25 that it's not always the academic people who achieve, and actually it's the people that try.  As many people have always said, I am one of life's triers!

I attribute all of my success to my belief that fundamentally if you believe enough and you take small incremental steps, then anything is possible.

The reason I chose this charity is because Kids Inspire encompass all the things I needed as a child but did not get.  The same as I have tried to create with WhiteTrees Group.  My motivation comes from the thought that I lead from example, If I can do it so can you!

I want to show the children in our care and in our lives that determination, drive, passion and courage anything is possible.

The reason I chose an Ironman is because the thought of it scares me, this compounded by the fact that I actually don't know how I will finish it!

For those of you who don't know an Ironman distance triathlon is made up of:

A 2.5 mile swim in open water, 112 mile bike ride (equivalent of London to Bath) and a 26 mile marathon (equivalent of Cambridge to Stansted).  The whole thing must be finished within 17 hours.

Please sponsor as much as your can to support the amazing work that Kids Inspire do.  

Join Simon on his journey by donating via this Just Giving page x