Taking on Great race for worthy causes

More than 60,000 runners will take part in today’s Great North Run between Newcastle and South Shields. We look at the stories of a small number of them taking part and wish them all the best for their 13.1-mile challenge

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PERCY HEDLEY FOUNDATION

NEARLY 100 people will be running on behalf of the Percy Hedley Foundation.

Thirteen staff and students will join 75 supporters running for the disability charity that provides support for people with complex learning difficulties, offering special education care.

Mum Laura More will be running her first Great North Run.

Five-year-old son Rowan has been a student at Percy Hedley in Killingworth just over a year and has made ‘unbelievable’ progress.

Laura said: “They gave him a chance when no one else could. It’s completely changed our life.”

However it was a “long and tricky progress to get him there” after more than 40 schools were considered.

Laura said: “The health professionals were saying that he needed specialist provision, but the local authority was saying that he didn’t.

“We ended up going to tribunal where they ruled in our favour and agreed that he did need specialist provision.

“Percy Hedley was the only one that not only had a place for Rowan, but thought he would be a good fit for the school.

“We went for a visit and literally straight away I just knew that it was absolutely the school for him, there was something so different about it.

“There is an assigned occupational, physio and speech language therapist to each class.

“The difference in him is unbelievable. His speech has came on - he went from knowing a few words to being able to use short sentences, recognising emotion, his family and his want to play and engage and that is 100% down to Percy Hedley and everything they've done for him.

Despite being nervous, Laura said: “My main goal is to run the whole thing and not have to stop to walk even if it takes me all night and day, that would be the dream!”

“Knowing he’s somewhere so valued, his needs are not only met but exceeded. We feel so reassured and happy, he skips into school everyday and loves it there.