Kayleigh, whose son attends the preschool at NICE, speaks about her experience running and raising money for our charity. Read about her motivation, and her advice for anyone thinking about taking on a fundraising challenge.
Kayleigh took on a brilliant challenge for NICE
I did the challenge with my sister-in-law, to raise funds for NICE, because my son has been coming here on a fortnightly basis and they have been absolutely brilliant.
I am absolutely not a runner but I do it because I know it’s good for me. The reason I chose to do it for NICE is because they have really helped my son out. An example that really sticks out in my mind is that early on when I started to come here, I found it very hard to get my son a pair of shoes that he can fit into because of his Down’s Syndrome. I looked everywhere, I was ordering shoes online, but they weren’t working, and I couldn’t put his foot in them. Very kindly, one of the staff that works here just said: ‘I’ve got a pair of shoes, you can have them’. That was such a massive relief for me and for our family to have that generosity and opportunity, so it was a real moment for me. So, of course, I was more than happy to do a run.
What if a 10K feels like too much?
As I said before, I’m not really a runner. You can put as much training into it as you like. Ultimately, my goal was to get to the end and to show my T-shirt from NICE and show the crowd what I was running for and raising that awareness. For me, I didn’t have a particular time that I wanted to complete the run. I just wanted to get to the end and have a really good time. So I would just say to anyone that’s thinking of doing it, don’t overwhelm yourself with personal best and things like that. Just do it and have a good time.
Is it hard to raise money?
I think your friends and family are a really great starting point to help you out, and then the wider network, your work colleagues and then, obviously, people that you talk to, that you are linked to. I’m part of a Support Group and one lady, one parent who very kindly donated £100 just because she understands the importance of a place like NICE.
Kayleigh raised £1,020.34 for NICE, which helped to fund two sessions of our Milestone Club which will help a group of 5 of our youngest children and their parents at a time when they need our help the most, and we are so proud of her completing the run!
Get involved
If you felt inspired by Kayleigh’s story, there are a number of ways you could help NICE:
- Become a NICE Friend: Donations from our regular givers provide us with a steady source of income each month which helps keep all our services running.
- Fundraise for us: Join one of our challenges such as our 10K in October, or organise your own event and get sponsored by your friends and family. You will be directly supporting the hands-on work with children and adults ensuring that they are able to work towards meeting their potential and living life to the full.
- Make a quick one-time donation: https://www.justgiving.com/fce
If you need any advice on setting your own fundraising challenge or supporting NICE, our friendly fundraising team are always available to offer advice. You can call us on 0121 442 5559 or email fundraising@conductive-education.org.uk
