Coast to Coast Walk for Williams Syndrome - 24th September

Our beautiful daughter Isla, was diagnosed with Williams Syndrome shortly before her 1st birthday after a challenging 12 months, feeling that there was something not quite right but being unable to find answers.

The main concern for Isla at the time was a condition called Hypercalcaemia, where the calcium level in her blood was too high. This can cause bones to weaken and stones to form in the kidneys and overall bodily functions issues. Other symptoms of Williams Syndrome include heart problems, delayed growth and global development delay.

As parents we feel very lucky to see the progress Isla has made since her diagnosis, but there are many children with Williams Syndrome, who are not. I am therefore aiming to raise money for these families.

To achieve this I will be walking from St Bees, Cumbria back home to Catterick on the Coast to Coast route. I will the continue the route for another 30-50 miles from this point. In total I will be aiming to walk 150-170 miles over the course of 6-7 days.

At least 50% of the funds raised will go to the registered 'Williams Syndrome Foundation' charity. I then aim to use the remaining funds to donate directly to families who really need financial support whilst helping their child through the Williams Syndrome journey i.e. hospital stays etc. I am also aiming to organise and fund a financial planning presentation for parents who have children with Williams Syndrome and other Special Educational Needs. This will hopefully provide them a toolkit to understand how they can organise their future finances given their unique circumstances.

Eldon Financial Planning Ltd. will also be matching all donations made up to the value of £5,000!