A Day for Gray - Fundraising for Edith Borthwick

Gray's Story:

Gray was born at 35 weeks along with his twin sister Harper. Gray was delayed from the very beginning, but health professionals were constantly saying "it's because he's a twin", "it's because he's a boy" etc etc. Yet at his 1 year check he was behind in all areas.

In July 2019 at the age of 16 Months Gray had his first seizure in the middle of Freeport/Braintree Designer Village. He stopped breathing in his Mum's arms, every parents worst nightmare and his Mum suffered flashbacks of the traumatic event for months afterwards. After several seizures later and being admitted to hospital during April 2020, the peak of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Gray was diagnosed with Epilepsy and began medication. 3 years later and his epilepsy is still unpredictable with his seizure types and presentation often changing and keeping everyone on their toes. Gray is currently in the process of having his medication changed to try and gain better, or hopefully full control of his seizures.

By 2 years old Gray's developmental delay had got even larger and by the time his 2 year 9 month check came he was already 18 months behind. He was diagnosed with Significant Developmental Delay and after an ADOS assessment was diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder just after his 3rd birthday.

Gray has been in nursery since 1 year old but unfortunately his first setting failed him massively. No support was put into place for him. He couldn't talk or interact with his peers and the nursery just left him to it because he could "stick up for himself". In September 2021, Gray joined his older sisters at their primary school in the nursery setting. Gray finally had the support he needed and deserved however the school knew that a specialist setting could better meet his needs in the long term.

SEN schools have a large waiting list and far fewer spaces. Gray's mum fought the local authority for an EHCP plan - initially being refused and having to file to tribunal before they backed down. The assessment was carried out, the local authority agreed to issue the EHCP and Edith Borthwick was named as the setting Gray will attend from his very first year in school, which is just amazing for him and something many other SEN parents are desperate for.

Gray is incredibly lucky to have a place at this amazing school.

A Day for Gray aims to raise as much money for the school as possible who are currently fundraising for specialist, vital, playground equipment.

The Challenge:

The Welsh 3000s:

This challenge will see Gray's 'Bop' and a small group of his friends complete the Welsh 3000s. This is a big step up from their previously successful Three Peaks Challenge. It's only suitable for very fit, experienced mountain walkers so the group are now training hard. They're not taking the challenge lightly, they're in it to not only complete the challenge but to try and do it even quicker than the 24h limit.

To complete the Welsh 3000s the group will need to hit 15 summits in 24 hours. The hike is roughly 31miles long and the accent is 4000ft which is the equivalent to hiking up over the half way point on mount Everest.

Below is a list of the mountains:

The Snowdon Massif

1. Crib Goch, 3028ft

2. Garnedd Ugain, 3494ft

​3. Snowdon, 3559ft​

The Glyderau

4. Elidir Fawr, 3031ft

5. Y Garn, 3106ft

6. Glyder Fawr, 3284ft

7. Glyder Fach, 3261ft

​8. Tryfan, 3011ft (918 m)​

The Carneddau

9. Pen yr Ole Wen, 3208ft

10. Carnedd Dafydd, 3425ft

11. Carnedd Llewelyn, 3490ft

12. Yr Elen, 3156ft

13. Foel Grach, 3202ft

14. Garnedd Uchaf, 3038ft

15. Foel-fras, 3090ft

About Edith Borthwick:

Edith Borthwick is a special school for students aged 3-19 years old with severe and complex learning difficulties including autism.

The original EdithBorthwick School was purpose built in 1976. In September 2015 the schoolmoved to their brand new, purpose built school in Braintree, Essexwhich offers superb facilities.

They currently have 248 learners on roll

and employ almost as many staff due to the high care needs of the students.

About the charity:

The Friends of Edith Borthwick School is a registered charity which raises money for allthe learners, from the youngest to oldest. Their aim is to enhancelearners' experiences and enjoyment whilst supporting the staff indelivering a wide range of educational opportunities.

The charity also fosters a sense of school community and seek to encourage acceptance of thosewith differences in the local area. As Edith Borthwick is a specialist school, the catchment area is large and many children arrive on local authority transport. Therefore there is no school gate community for parents/carers to build friendships. Attending events hosted by the charityenables lots of families to get to know each other which is a vital support network and helps thechildren & young people to socialise together in a safe and familiar

environment.

Through their fundraising & networking the FOEBS haveprovided minibuses to enable learners to access the

community, outdoor play equipment, learningmaterials, sensory resources, IT hardware, toys, schooltrips etc.

The charity are all volunteer parents/carers and staffso every penny raised is spent on the school.

The charity's ultimate aim is to enable each learner to thrive. To allow each student to experience the joy of learning and exceed their potential... This requires

more than just dedication and statutory budgets... it takes money. That's why fundraising is essential for the charity and the school and it makes a huge difference to the learners school lives.