Imagine waking up one day and everything has changed — you can’t move, you can’t feel, and suddenly, life as you knew it has been turned upside down.

Well, that's what happened to my mum after a mountain biking trip in 2016. What started like any other Easter weekend ended with a world turned upside down.

After a year or so in hospital, my mum finally came home in 2017 after the completion of an accessible extension to our home.

For 10 years, the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) has been an integral part of my mum's life. From enabling a network in the north west for people with similar injuries, to always being available for advice and match funding - I can not understate the amazing work SIA has done.

Therefore, being fortunate enough to secure a ballot spot in the London Marathon felt like an opportunity to give back to a charity that have given so much to my family.

Please do donate, whether it's £1 or £25 or £100, so the SIA can continue to help other families when their world is turned upside down by a spinal injury.

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Every four hours, someone in the UK is told they will never walk again due to spinal cord injury. In that moment, they need more than medical care — they need hope, guidance, and someone who truly understands what they’re going through.

That’s why I’m proud to be in team SIA. SIA is the expert voice for everyone living with spinal cord injury. From the moment of injury and throughout someone’s life, they provide expert clinical advice, practical support, peer mentoring, advocacy, and the confidence to rebuild life on new terms.