Summer 2014. My friends, Colin and Louise Dawson are enjoying a holiday in Portugal with their 8 year old son Finlay. Completely unexpectedly, Louise collapses and a week latter passes away in hospital. She was 45. It was totally unexpected.

Colin has a good full-time job in London but suddenly now becomes a widower and a single father to their young son. Finlay is autistic.

So I am running the 2015 Virgin London marathon in memory of Louise raising funds for PARC (Essex) because Colin's story closely mirrors my own.

A few days after Christmas 2011 my wife, Siobhain collapses and after four weeks in Intensive Care passes away in January 2012. She was 42. I also had a good full-time job in London. We also have a son. Jude was also 8 when his mum died. Jude is also autistic.

Even before Louise and Siobhain died, both our children were using and benefitting from the services of a small charity called PARC (Essex). PARC provides short term respite care for children and young adults and support services for families with disabled children. PARC is unique in that it provides this care in a purpose built facility in Braintree, Essex that was built and designed specifically with the needs of those children and young adults in mind. It supports children, young adults, siblings and their families.

Whilst both Colin and I were dealing with the lose of our wives, PARC was there to support us. And PARC continues to support us and our children going forward.

And there are nearly 400 other families in the Essex (and surrounding counties) that PARC also helps to support - all that each all have their own stories, difficulties and needs.

Raising children can be hard enough. Raising a disabled child can be even harder. PARC can't solve every families problems, but is does help to make the lives of those families a little less difficult so please donate what you can. Every pound you donate goes directly to the charity and helps them help families.

Thank you.

Paul

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