On 8th October 2023, my best mates - Kieran Hagney, Tom Hogan and Stuart Hunt ran the Morecambe Half Marathon in memory of Kieran's nephew, Eddie Batty, and raising money for Down Syndrome Research Foundation UK.

I was unable to join them as I was awaiting knee surgery.

I finally had my knee surgery on the 9th March and in my post surgical daze - I stupidly signed up to the AJ BELL GREAT MANCHESTER half marathon.

I love running but 10km has up to now been my limit. Achieving a half marathon after 16months of no running and 10 weeks post surgery will be a massive target for me. My aim is completion with a vague time goal of around the 2 hour mark.

Anyway - as I missed the Morecambe half marathon in memory of Eddie, I’m dedicating and hoping to raise some money in his memory for the Down Syndrome Research Foundation

Have a read of Eddie’s story below

In December 2022, Eddie was born at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. Eddie had Down syndrome and after an initial operation shortly after birth to correct a bowel problem, he was doing well. We were all so proud of him!

Sadly, Eddie started to develop problems with swelling and he had to be transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit. He was there for a number of weeks but they were unable to control the swelling and tragically little Eddie died in April.

Difficulties like this happen to babies with Down syndrome and we still don't fully understand why. But we do know that no child, whether they have an extra chromosone or not, should experience what Eddie did.

That's why we want to try and raise as much money for Down syndrome research as we can. Better understanding of Down syndrome will help save lives.

Thank you for donating whatever you can.

Thank you for your support! Our charity has been getting medical research underway in the UK for Down Syndrome (T21) for 20 yrs. We have gained tremendous scientific data & knowledge during that time. We share all findings with parents & medical professionals so they are able to implement & integrate changes quickly into their child’s life. This research helps the parents, professionals & public to have a better understanding of T21 & the impact that nutrition & lifestyle can have on the wellbeing & quality of life through preventative measure