Over October half term, Lizzie Allen, an HSDC Alton student on the Expressions Course, took up a challenge – the T21 Challenge – to raise money for the Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association (DSA).
The Portsmouth DSA, a self-funding charity, is committed to improving the lives of children and families in Hampshire and beyond. They provide a range of some of the best specialist services in the UK, supporting development and education, and offer training to assist families and professionals in providing effective support from the point of diagnosis, helping to teach children the skills they need to reach their developmental milestones, succeed at school, and become valued and productive members of their communities.
This year’s T21 Challenge was a virtual event where participants could choose how to challenge themselves; it just needed to include the number 21. The 21 relates to Trisomy 21, which is the scientific name for Down Syndrome.
Lizzie, who herself has Down Syndrome, said,
“I’m delighted to have joined in with the T21 Challenge in support of Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association this October! Due to COVID-19, many important fundraising events have been cancelled this year, including the Great South Run in Portsmouth. It is usually one of Portsmouth DSA’s biggest opportunities to raise funds and awareness. My challenge was to run 21K over 7 days so I ran 3K each day for 7 days.”
As part of this challenge, Lizzie set up a fundraising page to raise as much money as she could to support inclusion for children with Down Syndrome and their families. To help support Lizzie, go to https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LizzieT21Challenge.