I first ran The Great North Run 21 years ago... I ran for Barnardo's who I worked for at the time... I was very proud to pull on that running vest!

This year I think is my 8th Great North Run for Sunshine & Smiles ... and I couldn't be more proud to pull on my Sunshine vest and be raising funds once again!

Sunshine & Smiles has been a huge part of our world for the last 13 years... Thalia gains so much from the many groups & activities she can take part in; swimming, cricket, music, karaoke, Speech & Language therapy which are just some of the sessions we offer...

All of our activities and support are free to families to make sure they are accessible to everyone... and we also provide transport if people wouldn't otherwise be able to get there.

Being on the other side of the charity as the Service Manager also gives me a very different perspective and at the moment finding and securing grants and funding that we vitally need to run all our sevices is becoming increasingly competitive and hard to be awarded. Often funders want to support tangible items or new projects but as an established charity what is really important to us is resilience and long term sustainability.

If you can spare the price of a cuppa or a pint you will be helping us to be able to continue to provide vital support to over 180 families in Leeds.... and it will be massively appreciated!!

Thank You ☀️🥰