A man is getting ready for his first London Marathon to raise money for the charity that looks after his severely disabled daughter.
Edd Shipton is aiming to raise £1,500 for First Step, in Hornchurch, which looks after his daughter Grace who has multiple disorders.
Grace, who is now four, has been attending the centre, in Tangmere Crescent, for three years.
Music therapy
She is profoundly deaf, suffers from global development delay and has chronic lung disease. She is not able to walk or crawl, and can only be fed through a tube.
She attends the nursery sessions and receives music therapy, which Edd says are vital to her development.
Edd, of Berkeley Drive, Hornchurch, said: “It is a unique service and there is nothing else like it in the area, if not the country. Without First Step it means you are caring for a child with difficult additional needs 24-hours a day without any respite. That would be difficult to keep up, especially if you have an additional family.”
He added that he has been fitting in training around when Grace has sessions at the centre, and is looking forward to the marathon on Sunday.
If you would like to donate you can visit Edd’s fundraising page at www.justgiving.com/Edd-Shipton2.
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