A Yorkshire man is preparing to take on the London Marathon to support a Harrogate disability charity that transformed his sister's life.
Patrick Simpson is aiming to raise £2,000 for Henshaws Specialist College in Harrogate, which supports students with sight loss, special educational needs and disabilities.
Patrick’s sister Tess was diagnosed with autism as a child but was able to attend the same high school as her brother due to the Special Educational Needs (SEND) support it offered.
Everything changed when Tess, aged 16, was diagnosed with a rare pituitary brain tumour attached to her optic nerve.
Following the removal of the tumour, Tess began to suffer with a complex set of pituitary related conditions and vision loss.
She was later registered as severely visually impaired.
Despite the diagnosis, Tess was able to begin her further education at Henshaws.
The college had the unique set of skills required to deal not only with her vision loss, but also her medical and autism related needs.
Patrick said:
“Having a place that was close to home and had the specialism and understanding to support her with her autism and visual impairment was amazing.
“We were just so pleased she was happy.”
Patrick, 28, who now lives in Glasgow, took up running during the Covid lockdown.
Having completed four half marathons, he is now taking on the London Marathon in April to raise money for Henshaws to give back to the charity that supported Tess and his family.
He said:
“Hopefully the money I raise can help Henshaws continue to provide support and opportunities to people including through its Specialist College and its Arts and Crafts Centre in Knaresborough.
“Henshaws lets people be part of a community and be creative.
“As a disabled person having opportunities means a lot, often disabled people don’t get those opportunities even though they have skills and want to demonstrate them.”
As one of the Team Henshaws London Marathon runners, Patrick is aiming to raise £2,000 that he hopes will help ensure Henshaws can continue supporting families like his through services including its Specialist College and Arts and Crafts Centre.
On his fundraising page, Patrick, who works as a marketing officer for a disability charity, said:
“Henshaws has been a huge part of Team Simpson's life for over a decade and has made a humongous difference to our family's life, as well as to countless others
“Henshaws is a charity that supports people living with sight loss and a range of disabilities to achieve their ambitions and go beyond expectations.”
Tess, now 30, lives in supported living but goes home regularly for weekends, special occasions, and enjoys summer holidays with her family.
Describing his sister, Patrick said:
“Tess loves Disney and Disney princesses. She also loves chips – it’s her favourite food.
“She’ll often go on a day trip with her support staff to enjoy chips at her favourite seaside locations.”
On how he feels about taking on the 26.2-mile course in April, Patrick said:
“I’m very excited. Everyone has said the atmosphere at the London marathon is unlike anything else.
“I feel ready to give the big one a go for Henshaws.
“I know from doing half marathons that if you’re flagging a bit and someone cheers you on it gives you such a lift.”
Support Patrick here and find more information on how to run for Henshaws here.
If you’re running the London Marathon on April 27 and want to raise money in aid of Henshaws email fundraising@henshaws.org.uk
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