Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity

Grace's Fundraising page

Grace Skinner

Grace Skinner

My Story

I’m running the 2026 London Marathon for Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity (DVLC). This cause is deeply personal to me and to my wonderful friends Chris (who I have known since I was 11) and Debi (Chris’s wonderful wife). We all have roots in Cuckfield, West Sussex, where DVLC is based, and their daughter Elsie is who I will be running for this year!

Elsie’s story

Elsie was born on 28 May 2022 at just 23 weeks + 5 days, weighing just 600 grams. Her odds of survival were said to be 1,000-1, yet she fought through the first two years filled with hospital stays and a lot of uncertainty. She spent her first 100 days at the top of the critical care list and finally came home on day 211, just before Christmas 2022.

She is now approaching her fourth birthday, and is thriving. She also recently welcomed a baby sister, Delilah which is so special and once seemed unimaginable to them all. 

Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity 

DVLC provides life‑changing early support for children with complex needs, including cerebral palsy, chromosome abnormalities (such as Downs Syndrome) and rare genetic disorders. They offer help through hydrotherapy, music therapy, conductive education and hands‑on family guidance, including a parental mental health support group. 

DVLC is a very small, community‑based charity so unlike national charities with large teams and nationwide funding, DVLC operates on a much smaller scale, with no government funding. This means every donation has a direct, immediate impact on the therapies they can offer, and they rely heavily on individual fundraising to keep their services running.

DVLC may be small, but their impact is enormous. They step in during the most vulnerable stage of a child’s life and give families hope, guidance and specialist care which they couldn’t access elsewhere.

How DVLC helped Elsie

As Elsie grew stronger, DVLC supported her with hydrotherapy, music therapy, conductive education, and tailored home‑based play to support her cognitive and motor skills. Their expertise, kindness and encouragement played a huge part in her progress. Although Elsie no longer needs DVLC’s services, I’m running to honour her journey, and to help other families who may face the same terrifying uncertainty Chris and Debi did in 2022.

How your donation helps

Your support will help DVLC continue providing specialist therapy, education, and family support to children who need it most. If you’re a UK taxpayer, please add Gift Aid to make your donation go even further at no extra cost!

My commitment & fundraising

I previously ran the Oxford Half Marathon (Oct 2024) with my dad, and I’m training hard for London (despite a few set backs!). I hope to run with my Dad again (as he’s been very lucky in the ballot). I’ll post video updates and progress photos along the way so you can see how your support is powering each mile.

Thank you

Thank you for reading and for anything you can give. Your generosity will help DVLC be there for the next family who needs them, just as they were for Elsie.

With the deepest gratitude, 
Grace x

Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity

Raising for:

Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity
106%

Funded

  • Target
    £2,500
  • Raised so far
    £2,660
  • Number of donors
    65

My Story

I’m running the 2026 London Marathon for Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity (DVLC). This cause is deeply personal to me and to my wonderful friends Chris (who I have known since I was 11) and Debi (Chris’s wonderful wife). We all have roots in Cuckfield, West Sussex, where DVLC is based, and their daughter Elsie is who I will be running for this year!

Elsie’s story

Elsie was born on 28 May 2022 at just 23 weeks + 5 days, weighing just 600 grams. Her odds of survival were said to be 1,000-1, yet she fought through the first two years filled with hospital stays and a lot of uncertainty. She spent her first 100 days at the top of the critical care list and finally came home on day 211, just before Christmas 2022.

She is now approaching her fourth birthday, and is thriving. She also recently welcomed a baby sister, Delilah which is so special and once seemed unimaginable to them all. 

Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity 

DVLC provides life‑changing early support for children with complex needs, including cerebral palsy, chromosome abnormalities (such as Downs Syndrome) and rare genetic disorders. They offer help through hydrotherapy, music therapy, conductive education and hands‑on family guidance, including a parental mental health support group. 

DVLC is a very small, community‑based charity so unlike national charities with large teams and nationwide funding, DVLC operates on a much smaller scale, with no government funding. This means every donation has a direct, immediate impact on the therapies they can offer, and they rely heavily on individual fundraising to keep their services running.

DVLC may be small, but their impact is enormous. They step in during the most vulnerable stage of a child’s life and give families hope, guidance and specialist care which they couldn’t access elsewhere.

How DVLC helped Elsie

As Elsie grew stronger, DVLC supported her with hydrotherapy, music therapy, conductive education, and tailored home‑based play to support her cognitive and motor skills. Their expertise, kindness and encouragement played a huge part in her progress. Although Elsie no longer needs DVLC’s services, I’m running to honour her journey, and to help other families who may face the same terrifying uncertainty Chris and Debi did in 2022.

How your donation helps

Your support will help DVLC continue providing specialist therapy, education, and family support to children who need it most. If you’re a UK taxpayer, please add Gift Aid to make your donation go even further at no extra cost!

My commitment & fundraising

I previously ran the Oxford Half Marathon (Oct 2024) with my dad, and I’m training hard for London (despite a few set backs!). I hope to run with my Dad again (as he’s been very lucky in the ballot). I’ll post video updates and progress photos along the way so you can see how your support is powering each mile.

Thank you

Thank you for reading and for anything you can give. Your generosity will help DVLC be there for the next family who needs them, just as they were for Elsie.

With the deepest gratitude, 
Grace x