Pedal power!
Autism Awareness Week starts next Monday and for one supporter of the Sycamore Trust, it is the signal to get on his bike! Sam Crawford from Benfleet has set himself the target of cycling 50km a day for the whole week, in a bid to raise funds for Sycamore.
You may recall the story about Paul Taylor from Romford, who decided that he would run 100km over the seven days of Autism Awareness Week; well, Sam is his brother-in -law! As a family, they are very close, and Sam has been very impressed with the help we have given Olivia and wanted to help with the fund raising. Sam is an experienced cyclist, having ridden from London to Paris in the past, and the 350km target that he has set himself next week is roughly half that distance. Sam, 29, said; “I wanted to give something back. Paul likes running and I like my cycling and it was something we could do to raise money and awareness.”
Sam’s wife Shanna is Paul’s sister and they have noted a change in their niece since Olivia took part in the Speak With A Picture programme in 2019. Sam explained; “We also learned a few tips from Jemma and Paul, so when we see her, we are using the same skills, so for example we have learned ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’. We know that we have to address her is a different way, because you can’t get her attention easily. How we communicate with her is different so we use the same consistent methods as Jemma and Paul so we don’t confuse her.”
Sam will be cycling over 200 miles and we hope his fundraising attempts will be a huge success – to support Sam, go to; https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/SamCrawford01?utm_campaign=lc_frp_share_transaction_fundraiser_page_launched&utm_content=ffa85734-ec45-46a0-a01c-2bf098e9af4b&utm_medium=email&utm_source=postoffice&utm_term=1616592105375
