We are delighted to announce that we have been successful in securing a £45,000 a year for the next three years from John Lyon’s Charity to help Contact’s Ealing team support even more families with disabled children in the borough.
Thanks to this generous funding from John Lyon’s Charity, Contact’s Ealing team will be able to continue the vital work they do supporting families with disabled children there by offering high quality and expert one to one advice, school outreach work, parent workshops and meet ups, as well as running popular family events that bring families together and reduce isolation.
Contact has been working in the London borough of Ealing for over 40 years.
Brigitte Bistrick-Bryan, Contact’s Ealing manager says: “We’ve been lucky enough to have had the support of John Lyon’s Charity for the last three years, and we’re extremely grateful that they have agreed to fund our work for a further three years. The funding they provide makes a huge difference to Contact and the families we support. It means that parents and carers in Ealing can rely on us to be there for them when they need us with information, advice and support.
“The funding from John Lyon’s Charity couldn’t have come at a better time as families with disabled children in the borough – and across the UK – face disability benefit changes, squeezed education, health and social care support and a daily battle to get the support they are entitled to for their disabled children and their families.”
John Lyon’s Charity gives grants to benefit children and young people up to the age of 25 who live in nine boroughs in North and West London including Ealing.
A mum of three from Cambridgeshire is running her first marathon to support families with disabled children across the UK.
Jeanette Dyer’s daughter Rose, 19, has the genetic condition Noonan Syndrome. Jeanette received advice from Contact while Rose was growing up. And now she has signed up to do the London marathon in support of Contact!
Jeanette said: “Rose has conquered many challenges in her life. She has a learning disability as well as learning difficulties, growth and motor issues. I got advice from Contact’s helpline about how to apply for an education health and care plan for Rose so she could receive 1:1 support from a Teaching Assistant in mainstream school to access the curriculum.
Jeanette added: “Rose’s determination to overcome challenges led her to participate in dance classes and gymnastics, in which she later coached young children.
“Rose went on to study childcare at college. She is now in her first job as an early years practitioner, supported through Access to Work. I am sure that Rose has managed to achieve her potential in life through accessing all of the support that Contact has recommended for her. We are so grateful to them.”
Jeanette was bitten by the running bug over 12 years ago. In that time she has completed five Cambridge half marathons, as well as many Cambourne 10K races. But this is the first time she has done a full marathon.
Jeanette added: “I enjoy running because it is a chance to get out of the house away from life’s difficulties and into nature and also for ‘me time’. I realise now that it is something that I am good at. It gives me confidence, having had to give up my career as a research scientist.”
As well as running and being a parent carer, Jeanette enjoys helping other families with Noonan Syndrome. She is a Trustee and Chair of the Medical Subgroup of the Noonan Syndrome Association UK.
“Our runners help us continue providing vital support”
Jeanette will be running as part of a team of 17 runners for Contact.
Beena Patel, Individual Giving Manager at Contact, said: “We know that running 26 miles is a monumental challenge. We’re incredibly proud and humbled by our runners’ dedication, hard work, training and fundraising to support our work. It really does make a difference and helps us to continue to provide vital support to families with disabled children up and down the country.
“That’s why we will be there on the day cheering and congratulating their efforts to help us help more families with disabled children.”
Chris Evans, MP for Caerphilly in Wales, is once again taking on the challenge of the London Marathon to raise money for families with disabled children.
This is Chris’ third time running the London Marathon for Contact. He has been a long-time supporter of ours, as an advocate for ending fuel poverty and helping families experiencing financial difficulty due to disability or illness.
He said: “I’ve always carved out a space in my diary for a regular morning run. It gives me time to plan and reflect. I often find my best ideas, or solutions to problems, come to me while out running.
“I have now signed up to do the London Marathon for Contact, a charity close to my heart, for a third time. The work that they do to support families with disabled children in Wales and the rest of the UK is vital, and provides a lifeline to so many who need support.”
Our runners’ dedication will help us provide vital support
Chris will be running alongside his wife, Julia Evans. They are part of a team of 17 runners donating money raised to our services.
Beena Patel, Individual Giving Manager at Contact, said: “We know that running 26 miles is a monumental challenge. We’re incredibly proud and humbled by our runners’ dedication, hard work, training and fundraising to support our work. It really does make a difference and helps us to continue to provide vital support to families with disabled children up and down the country. That’s why we will be there on the day cheering and congratulating their efforts to help us help more families with disabled children.”
Before & after shots of Hattie’s sponsored haircut
Meet Hattie Mander, the 7-year-old fundraising superstar who bravely cut her long locks to help raise vital funds for Contact and the families with disabled children we support!
Hattie has an autistic cousin called Arthur who Contact supports, as well as other family members supported by Young Epilepsy. She wanted to help more families with additional needs like theirs, so she decided to fundraise for the two charities by braving a big hair chop.
And her courage paid off: Hattie managed to raise a whopping £700 through her fundraiser – and even donated her hair to The Little Princess Trust, which provides free wigs to children with cancer.
Thank you, Hattie, for working so hard to raise vital funds for Arthur and all the other families with disabled children who rely on our advice and support!
“We are very proud of her kindness and willingness to help others.”
Sarah, Hattie’s mum
Start a fundraiser of your own
Feeling inspired to take on a fundraising challenge of your own to help raise vital funds for Contact’s life-saving services for families?
Whether it’s changing your hair, hosting a bake sale, taking on a sponsored challenge or something else, we’re here to support you every step of the way!
If fundraising isn’t for you, you can also support Contact’s vital work by playing our weekly charity lottery.
Huge thank you to Hattie and all our other wonderful supporters!
Christmas came early for parent carer Emma and her two disabled children. The lucky family won the massive £10,000 jackpot in the Contact’s Weekly Lottery just two weeks into December!
As a disabled person herself and with two autistic sons, Emma decided to play our lottery to give back to the community and support other families like hers. Little did she know her generosity would turn into a Christmas miracle.
Watch Emma’s amazing reaction when we called her to share the exciting news as the family were on their way to the chippy:
Watch Emma’s reaction
Emma’s seven-year-old Kaenan has ASD and severe learning difficulties. Her eldest son Kyron is autistic, has ADHD and is very destructive, meaning he needs a new bed every year.
Their unexpected earnings meant Emma was able to invest in a sturdy new bed and mattress for him, as well as several other well-deserved treats.
Her son Kyron said: “The winnings helped us get a little bit extra spoilt this Christmas! We got a Nintendo Switch and I got a nice new strong bed with a new mattress. Mummy got a new washing machine, new cooker and tumble dryer too. And we have a family holiday booked for all of us to go to Gran Canaria, which is all-inclusive with a waterpark! Thank you so much Contact for helping our family.”
We’re thrilled to see a parent carer winning £10,000 in our lottery once again and to have made yet another family’s Christmas — just like we did the year before, when mum Samantha and her two disabled girls won big just in time for the festivities.
In fact, we’ve given away more than £100,000 in prizes to thousands of families since launching our lottery in 2020. And if you join us, you could be next!
Families with disabled children in the UK are more likely to be struggling financially than parents without disabled children. The impact of this goes beyond simply being unable to afford the basics.
Through our Family Finance Helpline, our range of accessible online resources and our webinars, families gain the confidence, resilience, and knowledge to alleviate the financial disadvantage that they face. 99% of surveyed parent carers who used our family finance service felt better informed about their rights to benefits and grants.
Did you know a £70 donation could fund a phone call with one our specialist benefits advisers, helping unlock potentially thousands in welfare entitlements?*
The difference your donations will make
Save the Big Give date
For our Winter Appeal 2024, we’re partnering with our kind Big Give match-funding partners.
From Tuesday 3 to Tuesday 10 December they’ll double every pound you donate to our appeal.
This means that donating £35 could fund a potentially life-changing phone call for a family.
Mum Sara Nicholl was delighted when we called to tell her she was the latest parent carer to win £1,000 in the Contact Weekly Lottery! She told us:
“I have won £5 before, but I wasn’t expecting to win this big. I’m speechless! I joined the Contact Weekly Lottery after hearing about it on Facebook around six months ago, and I’m so glad I did.”
Lottery winner Sara with her family
Parents of autistic children supporting families like theirs
Sara’s son is autistic and has ADHD, so she is very familiar with Contact and started playing the weekly lottery to support our vital work.
Around half of the families that access Contact’s services have an autistic child, making it incredibly rewarding when families like Sara’s hit the jackpot!
Sara joins other amazing parents of autistic children who have all celebrated big wins in our lottery.
Join the fun for just £1 a week and you could be next…
We’re seeing an unprecedented demand for our free services. Parents and carers are facing a constant battle to get support, not knowing where to turn, and reaching crisis point.
The Contact Weekly Lottery has become a vital source of income for our charity, funding services like our parent advisers, who help prevent stress, isolation and financial crisis.
“Contact was literally a lifeline. I was given information and understanding.
Most importantly I was given hope and support. I will never be able to say thank you enough.”
You can make a real difference for just £1 a week and be in with a chance of winning up to £10,000 every Friday.
Siobhan is a parent carer to three amazing children with additional needs, including one with complex medical needs. After discovering Contact on social media and finding valuable help and advice for her family, she decided to invest a few pounds a month in our charity lottery.
Siobhan shared her excitement with us:
“I honestly never thought we would be so lucky to win anything! It couldn’t have come at a better time for us, as this year has hit us hard financially.
The things I’ve learnt from Contact on social media have been invaluable. The work they do is fantastic!
So if anyone reading this can spare a few £s a month and wants to support a worthy cause, choose the Contact lottery!”
We recently had the pleasure of calling two amazing parent carers with some exciting news – they had both won £1,000 in the Contact Weekly Lottery on the same day!
Then just a couple of weeks later, we told another parent carer, Stephanie from Redcar, that she had also landed £1,000. It was such a shock that she didn’t believe us! She said:
“When I first heard I won £1,000 with the Contact Lottery I thought it was a joke! I actually had to call back to double check as I couldn’t believe it.
I heard about the Contact Lottery at a parent group. I thought I’d sign up as I get to support Contact, a charity that has helped my family before.
It’s easy to do, and I barely notice the £1 a week, but I know it makes a difference.”
Parent carer, Alison from Cheshire, was celebrating her birthday the weekend she found out the good news! She shared:
“I found out about Contact through my local Carers Centre and have used them many times for advice and information ?
For someone who never wins anything, this has literally made my family’s summer! Thank you so much!”
21 parent carers have won big
21 parent carers have now taken home one of our lucrative jackpots, and most of them have used Contact’s support services and advice in the past.
We’re delighted that they chose to give back to other families like theirs and were rewarded with such a big win.
We’re absolutely thrilled to share that our DinoDay Stomp & Roar Challenge has raised an amazing £20,325!!
A dinosaur-sized thank you to all the families and incredible children across the country who sported their DinoDay t-shirts and took on 19 activities to support our vital work.
Children helping other children
This year, we saw a huge increase in the number of disabled and neurodiverse children taking on the challenge to help other families like theirs.
Take five-year-old Fraser, for example. He is autistic and loves everything about buses. Teaming up with his mum, Nichola, they took on the adventure of travelling on 19 different bus routes and raised an incredible £173!
The determination of all the children who took part has been truly inspiring, with many choosing 19 acts of kindness for their challenge.
Making memories together
When we asked parents what they loved most about participating in the challenge and the responses melted our hearts:
“Getting out and about on adventures and making memories.” “Seeing my son helping others.” “Bonding time, making time every day after school or at the weekend to do a special subject for a special cause.” “Finding lots of new places to explore.”
We’re not just thrilled that the challenge has raised so much money. We’re also delighted to see families, including those with disabled children, having such a blast while doing it.
The difference the money will make
With the growing demand for our support services, the funds raised through DinoDay will enable us to meet this need and reach even more families.
The money raised this DinoDay will help us continue running our vital services, which include:
If you’re looking to have fun with your family while supporting Contact, we’d love for you to join us next year! There’s no fundraising target – just take on a challenge themed around the number 19.
Plus, every little dino participating will receive a free t-shirt and activity tracker!
We’ll be inviting participants to sign up in early 2025, so stay tuned!
It’s been four years since we launched the Contact Lottery, our exciting game that gives players a chance of winning cash prizes every week, all while supporting Contact’s vital support services families with disabled children.
And what an incredible journey these past four years have been! We’ve given away £79,245 in cash prizes to 7,021 players – with 18 parent carers taking home one of our lucrative jackpots, including recent winners Michelle, Sophie and Samantha.
We now have 3,000 amazing players and nearly 100 prizes are being won every single week.
We’re seeing an unprecedented demand for our support due to the underfunding of public services and the escalating costs of caring for a disabled child. Our lottery has become a crucial source of income for Contact, helping us meet this need and enabling us to reach thousands more families.
We’re determined to grow our community of players to 5,000 by the end of 2025. You can help us achieve this goal by signing up today!
What makes the Contact Lottery so special? The fact that parent carers have been the top winners — taking home most of the £79,245 cash prizes awarded so far!
When we call a parent to deliver the exciting news that they’ve won, they often tell us they play our lottery to help support other families like theirs. As our first-ever £10,000 winner put it: “Knowing the money I pay each month can help so many families with disabled children is overwhelming. It makes me feel so proud that I can help someone with a disability, especially a child.”
Join the fun and be part of Contact’s history
Playing our lottery is as easy as spending £1 a week!
For each £1 entry, you’ll get a unique 6-digit number. Match three or more numbers, and you could win fabulous cash prizes ranging from £5 all the way up to an amazing £10,000.
Want to boost your chances and support Contact even more? Simply opt to play for £2 or £3 a week!
This little superhero is Imogen. She is autistic and has ADHD, so sitting still and concentrating was never her strong suit — that is, until she decided to colour in 19 different dinosaur drawings as part of this year’s DinoDay Challenge…
With her crayons on hand and dino toys on guard, the difference was like night and day: Imogen dedicated 110% of her attention to completing the challenge while impressing all of us with her remarkable dinosaur knowledge. It’s not every day that you meet a 4-year-old who can pronounce Spinosaurus!
“Thank you for bringing our little girl out of her shell and making her shine”
Laura, Imogen’s mum
Imogen also managed to raise an amazing £680 through her challenge, joining nearly 400 other kids who together have fundraised a truly incredible £17,900 in support of families with disabled children.
With just 4 days to go until our DinoDay Challenge fundraiser comes to an end, can you help celebrate their achievement by chipping in too?
Your support could help take our fundraiser over the £20,000 mark and make a huge difference to thousands of families who rely on Contact’s life-saving services.
Donating just £15 could already help a struggling family to cover their household bills with the support of our dedicated Family Finance advisers.
Show Imogen and all the children who took part in our DinoDay Challenge that you commend their efforts to help other families by chipping in whatever you can!
Today is DinoDay, our annual event to raise vital funds for Contact’s support services for families with disabled children. Hundreds of incredible families across the UK have been taking on 19 activities in the Stomp & Roar Challenge to raise money while having fun.
A huge, dinosaur-sized thank you to everyone who has taken part so far!
The importance of DinoDay
Today is all about raising awareness of Cameron Mathieson and his family’s successful campaign to stop Disability Living Allowance (DLA) payments from being taken away from children who spent over 12 weeks in hospital.
We supported Cameron and his family in challenging this unfair rule. As a result, no other family with a child who spends long periods in hospital has been denied this essential financial support.
Today is Cameron’s birthday, so we are thinking of his family during this difficult time. We also want to say thank you for everything they have done for other families in similar situations.
The money raised from DinoDay will help us continue to campaign for a fairer society and more support for families with disabled children.
There’s still time to take on the DinoDay Challenge!
It’s not too late to get involved in our DinoDay Challenge before our fundraiser officially closes on 15 July! Simply register for your free t-shirt and then set up your fundraiser. We’ll ship your t-shirt and activity tracker once you have one donation.
The challenge you take on is entirely up to you – just make sure the number 19 is involved! Join our DinoDay Facebook group for challenge inspiration and to meet the other families who are taking part.
Could you support us with a small donation instead?
You can help us reach our £25,000 target by making a small donation to Contact (make sure you select DinoDay in the reason for donating).
A donation today could help us continue vital projects like By Your Side, supporting families while their child is seriously ill in hospital, like we did for Cameron Mathieson’s. Our parent advisers provide parents with emotional and practical support when they need it the most.
June has only just started and yet hundreds of families have already raised more than £10,000 for this month’s DinoDay Stomp & Roar Challenge!
Families up and down the country have been busy taking on exciting challenges of their choice this month as part of DinoDay, our annual fundraising event on 19 June – all while rocking their free dino t-shirts and activity trackers.
We’ve been blown away by the uniquely creative activities that this year’s participants have chosen to raise funds for our vital services. Some of our favourites include:
Doing 19 acts of kindness – with Heidie and her brother taking homemade cupcakes to staff at their local hospital this week, while Oscar donated kitten food to a cat rescue
Trying to learn a new ‘Just Dance’ video routine over 19 days
Learning to hula-hoop in 19 days
Trying 19 new foods (a tough feat for those with sensory issues!)
Reading and reviewing 19 dino-themed books
It’s been heart-warming to see children of all ages and abilities take on often difficult challenges because they want to help other families.
And the parents have enjoyed it too, with mum Debbie – whose son Alfie is taking on 19 different activities – telling us: “We have done a woodland walk, a river walk, a trip to the beach, visited arcades, discos, went on rides and even tried new foods. What a great way to get out of the house and explore all whilst raising money for a fabulous charity.”
There’s still time to join the fun
It’s not too late to get involved in our DinoDay Challenge and help us smash our £25,000 target before our fundraiser officially closes on 15 July!
Once you’ve received at least one donation to your fundraiser, we’ll automatically ship your t-shirt and activity tracker so your children can take on their challenges in style.
The challenge you take on is entirely up to you – just make sure the number 19 is involved!
The inspiration behind DinoDay
The inspiration behind DinoDay is a little boy called Cameron Mathieson, who had both Cystic Fibrosis and Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy and sadly passed away when he was five years old after spending over two years in hospital.
It’s only 1 month until DinoDay, but there’s still lots of time to join the fun and fundraiser for Contact. All you have to do is take on 19 activities with your family before the 15 July!
Register to take part today and we’ll send your child a FREE t-shirt and activity tracker (once you’ve received a donation) so your little dino can complete their challenge in style!
Looking for inspiration? Look no further than some of our top fundraisers from last year’s challenge, who between them took on 19 new foods, 19 different sports and walked 19 laps of a pond.
After spending most of his life being tube-fed and completely orally averse, Ziggy’s parents challenged him to try 19 new foods for DinoDay last year and he absolutely smashed it!!
His family were really struggling to motivate Ziggy to eat a wider range of foods, so our challenge came at the perfect time for them.
“Every day Ziggy would say to us: ‘So what’s my new food today!’,” his mum Jackie told us. “He loved doing the challenge, and it was wonderful to see just how much support he received from our family and friends. He did so well and talked about it at school for weeks! We are so proud of him and grateful to you for the inspiration.”
Ellie
Ellie, who has epilepsy and cerebral palsy, raised a whopping £300 last year by taking on 19 days of sports!!
From swimming to hula-hooping, Ellie completed a different fitness challenge each day to prove once and for all that having a disability doesn’t make you any less DINO-mite.
Not only did she enjoy doing the activities, she also loved to see that other people believed in her ability to do them.
Evelyn
At just 20 months old, Evelyn’s DinoDay t-shirt was nearly touching the floor, but that didn’t stop her from stomping round 19 laps of a gigantic pond and raising over £300!
Evelyn’s mum told us. “We decided on walking 19 laps of our local parks duck pond – it was a big challenge for our one year old’s little legs, but she managed to complete the laps and enjoyed every minute of the walk and of course feeding the ducks!”
“If anyone is thinking about doing the challenge, I would totally recommend it! It’s so fun, you can choose your activity and raise money for a worthy cause. Now we just need to decide what to do this year!”
Sarah, parent to last year’s dino-mite stomper Evelyn
Are you roaring to go?
Taking part in the 2024 challenge is easy – here’s how:
Join our DinoDay Stomp & Roar Challenge Facebook group – where you can meet other families taking part and share your progress. It’s filled with super cute photos and heartwarming stories that are guaranteed to brighten up your day!
Choose an activity for your challenge, whatever you choose is totally up to your family – walk 19 miles, draw 19 dinosaurs, try 19 new foods…just make sure the number 19 is involved!
We’ll automatically ship your t-shirt and activity tracker once you receive at least one donation to your fundraiser. If you’re itching to get them now, you can make a donation to your own fundraiser and we’ll ship it straight away – any amount will do!
Why dinosaurs and why the number 19?
DinoDay is our annual fundraising event inspired by a little boy called Cameron Mathieson and his amazing family. With Contact’s support, they launched a long and ultimately successful landmark legal challenge that guaranteed no other child would have their DLA suspended while in hospital.
Cameron, who had Cystic Fibrosis and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, sadly passed away when he was five years old after spending nearly three of those years in hospital.
Every year since then, we celebrate Cameron’s birthday on 19 June with DinoDay – a tribute to Cam’s love of dinosaurs, especially his green triceratops called Troy!
As well as supporting our vital services, the funds you raise this June will also help us campaign to tackle the inequalities that families with disabled children face, like we did for Mathieson’s family and thousands of others since.
Have any questions?
You will likely find all the answers you’re looking for in our DinoDay Challenge FAQs. But if not, just drop us an email at [email protected] contact our team on 020 7608 8786 and we’ll help you out!
Register to take part today and we’ll send your child a FREE t-shirt and activity tracker (once your fundraiser gets at least one donation) so they can complete their challenge in style!
What’s the DinoDay Challenge?
The DinoDay Challenge is your chance to take on a fun activity of your choice in the run-up to DinoDay on 19 June to help us transform the lives of families with disabled children.
The activity you choose is totally up to your family – walk 19 miles, draw 19 dinosaurs, try 19 new foods… Whatever it is, just make sure the number 19 is involved!
How can I register to join?
Taking part in the 2024 challenge is easy – here’s how:
We’ll automatically ship your t-shirt and activity tracker once you receive at least one donation to your fundraiser. If you’re itching to get them now, you can make a donation to your own fundraiser and we’ll ship it straight away – any amount will do!
What’s DinoDay all about?
DinoDay is our annual fundraising event inspired by a little boy called Cameron Mathieson and his amazing family. With Contact’s support, they launched a long and ultimately successful landmark legal challenge that guaranteed no other child would have their DLA suspended while in hospital.
Cameron, who had Cystic Fibrosis and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, sadly passed away when he was five years old after spending nearly three of those years in hospital.
Every year since then, we celebrate Cameron’s birthday on 19 June with DinoDay – a tribute to Cam’s love of dinosaurs, especially his green triceratops called Troy!
As well as supporting our vital services, the funds you raise this June will also help us campaign to tackle the inequalities that families with disabled children face, like we did for Mathieson’s family and thousands of others since.
Have any questions?
You will likely find all the answers you’re looking for in our DinoDay Challenge FAQs. But if not, just drop us an email at [email protected] contact our team on 020 7608 8786 and we’ll help you out!
We’ll be proudly cheering on all our London Marathon runners this Sunday as they put months of training and hard work into practice!
We just wanted to say the very best of luck to all of our London Marathon 2024 runners and to thank them for raising vital funds for Contact – money that will help us be there for even more UK families with disabled children with our information, advice and support.
One of our runners, Jade a clinical lead nurse from Cambridgeshire says: “Over the last year I’ve been refocusing my values and the areas of my life that are important to me – one of which is reducing health inequalities for vulnerable children and young people. Children with disabilities are so often overlooked alongside their parents who are faced with incredibly complex systems of support. Contact’s values and support for families with disabled children align closely with my own professional and personal priorities. The difference the charity makes is real – and inspiring to hear about.
“I also re-discovered running over the last year and the sense of community and accomplishment running provides has mentally been a source of comfort and strength. To be able to combine both these areas of my life by running for Contact really is a privilege. I am determined to raise money so that even more families can find the support they need from this fantastic charity!”
We are truly humbled by their support to us and incredibly proud of each and every one of our London Marathon 2024 runners.
Good luck to you all!
If you’re interested in joining our team next year, contact us on [email protected].
Rachel Ramsden from Teignmouth in Devon and Sophie Morris from Bushey, Hertfordshire are 2 of 18 runners getting ready to get, set go on 21 April at this year’s London Marathon.
An amazing commitment, we caught up with them to find out what inspired them to take part in the London Marathon for Contact.
39 year old Sophie, a chartered tax consultant, was inspired to run and raise vital funds for Contact after hearing about her friend’s experience caring for a child with complex needs.
Sophie says: “Contact seemed like the perfect charity for me to support by running the London Marathon. I took up running two years ago and through it met my good friend Angela whose son Thomas has complex needs. Angela’s family has been supported by Contact for many years and on our runs she told me more about the challenges she faces as the parent of a disabled child – and the support Contact has given her to help overcome them.
“Talking to Angela really inspired me to take this challenge on. I know that thinking of Thomas’ smiley face will easily get me across the finishing line!”
If you’d like to donate and help Sophie smash her fundraising target please visit her JustGiving page.
Third marathon run for Rachel
43 year old medical secretary Rachel who is from Teignmouth told us:
“I’m a working mum with two children. My youngest son, Harvey, is 8 years old and is autistic. He is also non-verbal and has learning and developmental disabilities and needs help with all aspects of self-care. He is my world!
“I wanted to raise money and run this year’s London marathon for a charity that understands the challenges families like mine face when their child has additional support. This will be my third marathon and I am determined to come in under 5 hours so have been training really hard.”
You can donate to help Rachel’s fundraising efforts by visiting her JustGiving page.
Kaya Korablina from Contact’s fundraising team says: “Running 26 miles is a monumental challenge and we’re incredibly proud and humbled by Rachel and Sophie’s dedication, hard work, training and fundraising to support our work. It really does make a difference and helps us to continue to provide vital support to families with disabled children up and down the country. That’s why we will be there on the day cheering and congratulating all of those running the London Marathon for us this year and their efforts to help us help more families with disabled children.”
Best of luck to you both from all of us at Contact!
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