Story
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
I have been involved as a Trustee at IAM for over three years. The charity supports autistic people in Greater Manchester and has been helping people since 1993. Some of the members at IAM have grown up with the charity and are still supported by the team today.
IAM has a passionate team that work there and they have helped and supported countless people over the years. They provide friendship groups and social activities for lots of different ages groups and for the members IAM is part of their family.
Like many charities the last few years, including the lockdown times, have put a real strain on the finances of the charity. Similar to businesses, operational costs have risen steeply, particularly utilities and staff costs. IAM is a brilliant organisation but it desperately needs extra funding to continue to help its members.
I was an ok runner 10 years ago but in the last six years I got out of the habit of running. I ran a couple of half marathons in the past but I swore that I would never run a full marathon due to how I felt at the end of the half marathons I completed. I've set myself the challenge of running Chester Marathon to try and maximise the fund raising for this great charity.
I haven't had a see the light moment, I still don't want to run a marathon but I'm going to do it anyway! I'm half way through my training now and up to running 23k and I'm knackered. Please dig deep and support me through this painful experience. My 16 year old son is autistic and I really want IAM to be around for him and others like him in the future.