Ahead of the London marathon in April 2026, one radiographer is seeking to raise £1,700 for speech and language disorder charity Afasic.
Ceri Clayton, a radiographer at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon, explained that the charity is very close to her heart because her son, Kian, was diagnosed with a speech and language disorder at four years old.
Afasic provides support and information for families with children or young people who have speech and communication needs, and has been a “lifeline” for Ceri and her family, in particular when they were fighting to get Kian into a school that would suit his needs.
'A daunting experience'
“Their knowledge and skills ensured we were always backed up,” she explained. “We had to fight for him to get a space in a specialist school when our local council deemed it suitable for him to go to mainstream.
“Kian is now 14 and faces struggles daily with his speech and communication but his happy go lucky nature and dedication make us so proud of him!”
While it will certainly be a “daunting experience”, Ceri said, she previously ran the London marathon in 2019, also for Afasic, so she is well aware of the hard work, training, and commitment needed to get through.
'A run is only temporary'
Ceri said: “I know April 2026 is a long way off yet but I just wanted to share my fundraising page so feel free to follow along for training updates. I'll be holding some fundraising bits and pieces closer to the time in the dept.
“I am hoping to raise £1,700 by April 2026 so every little donation will be hugely appreciated! Feel free to suggest a song to add to my running playlist along with your donations so you can accompany me on my long and gruelling training runs.”
Ceri graduated from the University of Portsmouth in 2023, and has been working at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon since. She and her family, including husband and daughter, who are both serving in the British Army, moved to the area halfway through her degree due to her husband being posted to Lyneham.
She added: “I always feel when I'm struggling with my runs how children or young people with communication difficulties feel having to deal with their difficulties 24/7 – and a run is only temporary.”
Find out more about Ceri, and donate to her London marathon fundraising page, here now.
(Image: Ceri Clayton)