My Story

On Sunday 26th April 2026, I’ll be taking on 26.2 miles, not because I love running, but because of what it represents for our daughter, Olive, and hundreds of families supported by SNAPs Yorkshire.

Every step I take is for children with additional needs who deserve joy, dignity, and opportunity, and for parents who need support when life is unimaginably hard.

👉 Please donate if you can. Your support truly changes lives

💙 Why this matters to me

Our daughter Olive is eight years old. She has quadriplegic cerebral palsy. She can’t sit, walk, or talk, and she’s fed through a gastrostomy tube.

That’s the reality we live with every day.

But Olive is also full of personality. She's very cheeky. Loves music. And loves water. And when she’s in the hydrotherapy pool, she’s free in a way she isn’t anywhere else.

For the past eight years, SNAPs Yorkshire has been there for Olive and for us, offering support, understanding, and specialist services that genuinely improve her quality of life.

Without charities like SNAPs, families like ours would feel completely alone.

🌊 The difference SNAPs makes

SNAPs Yorkshire supports children with additional needs and their families through:

• Hydrotherapy that reduces pain and improves mobility
• Physiotherapy and specialist swimming
• Sensory activities, arts, dance, and play
• Emotional and practical support for parents and carers
• Safe space for siblings to meet those in similar situatons to themselves

These services don’t just help children physically, they give families hope, confidence, and community.

🎯 What your donation will do

My fundraising target is £6,236 - enough to fund an entire week of SNAPs services.

Here’s how your donation helps:

• £10 could fund arts and crafts materials for SNAP sessions 
• £30 could help to fund a swimming lesson for a child with additional needs
• £46 could fund one physiotherapy session
• £100 could fund two rounds of hydrotherapy 
• £42 — one pound for every kilometre I’ll run, helps keep these services accessible

Every single donation, no matter the size, makes a real difference.

🏃‍♂️ Why the London Marathon?

The London Marathon is tough. Training is long. Race day is brutal.

But it’s nothing compared to the daily challenges faced by children like Olive, or the resilience shown by families navigating complex care, limited support, and constant uncertainty.

That’s why I’m running.

❤️ Please support me if you can

If you’re able to donate, I’d be incredibly grateful.
If you can’t donate, please consider sharing this page.

Your support helps ensure that children like Olive can continue to access life-changing services, and that families like ours never feel alone.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for supporting something that means the world to us.

— George

About SNAPs

SNAPS provides support services for children with additional needs of all kinds, and their families.

Children do not need a formal diagnosis to access SNAPS’ services. Families can self-refer, or be referred by another organisation. SNAPs are based in Leeds, but accept children from any location. 

They provide weekly physiotherapist-led hydrotherapy and rebound sessions, along with swimming, arts and crafts, dance, sign and sing, boccia, storytelling and music therapy. They also run weekly accessible football sessions for children with additional needs and their siblings.

Their Family Support Project delivers more in-depth support for parents and carers between our weekend sessions. All of their sessions are supported by professional and dedicated staff.