As many of you know, our wonderful 3-year-old Sienna has been supported by the incredible charity Sparkles since she was just a few weeks old. Sparkles provides fantastic weekly speech therapy, as well as regular physiotherapy and occupational therapy, to children with Down’s Syndrome in their early years. We have no doubt that Sienna is thriving today because of the support she’s received from Sparkles.

What makes their role even more vital is that Sienna has received very little NHS input in any of these areas. Sparkles has truly filled a gap in her development that we, as a family, are endlessly grateful for.

Sparkles is a small, parent-led charity that receives no government funding. They rely entirely on donations, grants, and fundraising to keep going. I’m proud to say I’ve been on the committee for the past couple of years, helping with social media and raising awareness for this cause that means so much to us.

With Sienna starting school next year, I felt now was the perfect time to give back to this charity that has been such a lifeline for us. And since running and fitness have always been my personal therapy, I’ve decided to take on a challenge close to my heart:

From Mile to Marathon: Powered by Sparkles ✨

A full year of races and fitness events — with the whole family getting involved — all to raise awareness and vital funds for Sparkles.

Here’s what we’ve got lined up so far:

✨ 7th June – The Sparkles Big Step Forward (Rearranged to 26th July due to weather ☔️) ✅

We’ll be joining the Sparkles community for a 1-mile sponsored walk — and the most special part? Sienna will be walking the entire mile unaided for the first time 🥹

✨ 13th July – Colour Run ✅

Darcie and Isla will be taking part in this fun-filled event, dashing around a track while getting covered in paint! 🫣😂

✨ 3rd August – Bearbrook 10K ✅

I’ll be running this local 10K race to keep the momentum going.

✨ 7th September – The Big Half (London)

I’ll be running The Big Half (Half Marathon) in London alongside other Sparkles runners, including some close friends.

✨ 23rd October – HYROX Mixed Doubles (Birmingham)

Darren and I will team up to take on this strength and endurance event together — wish us luck!

✨ 6th December- HYROX women’s PRO (🥴🫣) doubles (London Excel)

I will once again be teaming up with my amazing friend Frankie to take on a HYROX doubles race…. But this time we are stepping up to Pro weights! 💪🏼

✨ 26th April – The Big One: The London Marathon! 🫣🥴

Yes, I’ll be taking on 26.2 miles in support of Sparkles!

(And I’m sure more events will be added along the way!)

If you’ve made it this far — thank you for reading and for supporting our journey. If you’re able to donate, we would be so incredibly grateful. Every penny makes a difference to children like Sienna and families like ours. 💛

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.