A Lichfield woman will take on the London Marathon to raise money for a charity supporting children with speech and language challenges.
Helen Campbell will be pounding the streets fo the capital in aid of Speech and Language UK.
She said the experiences of her son had made her decide to lace up her running shoes for the charity.
“Our youngest son Jack has a phonological speech disorder and articulation difficulties, meaning that despite being almost five years old and having good vocabulary, he can be difficult to understand.
“It’s been so tough seeing Jack struggle with being understood by his friends, family and strangers, but fortunately Jack’s happy and social personality continues to shine through.
“Since sharing Jack’s speech and language story with local community groups, I have had lots of parents contact me directly asking for help, guidance and reassurance. The journey can be long, tough, lonely and worrying for parents seeking out help for their children.
“I know for a fact Jack would not be having the support he is if it was not for the work of this charity.
“It’s heartbreaking to think that over 1.9 million children in the UK struggle to talk and understand words, and so by helping raise money for this charity we are helping ensure more children like Jack get the support they need from every angle.”
Helen Campbell
Jack has recently started at a specialist speech school where Helen believes he will thrive by having regular dedicated speech and language support.
Jane Harris, Speech and Language UK Chief Executive said:
“Children’s education has been severely disrupted by the pandemic and the cost of living crisis which has had a huge impact on children learning to talk and understand words.
“We are incredibly grateful to Helen for going the extra mile by running the London Marathon to help us support even more children and families.”
Jane Harris
To sponsor Helen, visit her fundraising page.