We’re very excited to welcome James to Team Cerebra!

James will be taking on two running challenges to raise money for us; the Manchester to Liverpool Ultra Marathon and the London Landmarks Half Marathon just a week later!

He has always loved fitness and saw this as a perfect opportunity to challenge himself as part of his 40th birthday celebrations.

James told us why Cerebra is a cause that is particularly close to his heart:

“My daughter Isabella suffered a brain injury in August 2022.

My wife, May, and I became reliant on many charities to help us navigate a whole new world of life with a disabled child and accessing resources to help Isabella with her recovery.

After her brain injury, we found that the ‘normal’ toys that a 2 year old would play with were not necessarily appropriate and needed ‘specialist’ toys to help meet Isabella’s sensory and mobility needs. The trouble was, stick ‘specialist’ in front of any normal toy and the cost of that toy skyrocketed.

We were, therefore, so grateful to come across Cerebra’s lending library, who lent us specialist toys for a month completely free of charge! On top of this, Cerebra also have a special innovation centre which focuses on making the impossible possible by adapting everyday items so that brain injured children can enjoy every day activities.

Cerebra’s Innovation Centre adapted a harness for Isabella so she could safely enjoy the swings (she loves the swings) in the early days when she had limited trunk control. We are so thankful for Cerebra and the work they do. We hope that in the future, families will not have brain injured children and will need their services but for now, the work they do and continue to do is amazing and I am so happy to be running for this amazing cause.”

If you would like to follow James’s progress or make a donation, visit his Just Giving page.