Running miles for Milestones
Jo's story
Finding Flaxpits was the best thing we ever did. All of the staff are so lovely.
On Sunday 2nd October, Jo, a parent of a person we support, ran the London Marathon to raise money for one of our residential services. She has raised £1,400 for Flaxpits House, a home for people with learning disabilities, where her son, Harry, has lived for two years.
Jo has now completed six marathons, having run her first in 2009. In the week following her most recent achievement, Jo said:
“I’ve had a break this week but am back to doing the Park Run this weekend. The actual training was an 18-week programme, with four runs a week, and I only missed two of those runs because I was away. I made up for those two by walking the distance instead!”
Jo knows how much of a difference the funds can make for the people we support. She wanted to raise money to contribute towards a sensory table for Flaxpits, which costs around £4,000. A sensory, or interactive, table is used in a similar way to a smart phone (just a much bigger version!). It typically contains colouring apps, memory games, card games, sensory apps, brain teasers and even virtual musical instruments. Sensory tables are designed to be used by multiple people at once, encouraging social interaction, whilst enabling people with learning disabilities and mental health needs to engage and relax.
“I started flagging at mile 21. Then I saw Martin, my husband, who told me that I’d had more donations while I was running, and that was exactly what I needed to make me carry on!”
Jo says that “nothing could be better” about Flaxpits House. When asked about Harry’s favourite part of living there, Jo said, “Probably the food! And the staff. All of them are so lovely – from Harry’s key worker, James, to the Home Manager, Faz. I can’t list all of their names but everyone who works there is so wonderful.”
Jo completed the marathon in just under six hours, a whole hour quicker than her time 13 years ago! Her determination and selflessness are inspirational to all of us at Milestones. We are so proud of her.
To celebrate Jo, and help Flaxpits get their well-deserved sensory table, please donate to Jo’s fundraising page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/joanne-wood6666
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