London & Manchester Marathon 2025: Good luck to all our runners!

Article
April 23, 2025

We want to wish the best of luck to all our runners who will be taking to the streets of London in aid of our mission to create a world that recognises and values autistic people.

Our runners have been training for months, and have shown unwavering passion and dedication to our cause. We wish the best of luck to:

Ben Lee
Gary Roberts
Helena Coupland
James Doble
Katie Ricketts
Oliver Markham
Ross Levy

We'll also be cheering on Dave Jowett and Amy Morley, who will be running the Manchester marathon on the same weekend.

Why raise money for Autism East Midlands?

Your donations keep us going, allowing us to provide vital services for autistic adults, children and families across the East Midlands. We know that our runners have worked tirelessly to train for this weekend and we plan to make every bit of money raised count.

Every donation matters, whether big or small, and could contribute to:

Autism-friendly educational resources for our school in Nottingham
Supporting the work of an employment coach helping autistic jobseekers
Accessible living spaces within residential and day services
Specialist sensory play equipment for family support hubs

And many more of our services that make a difference to autistic people each and every day.

To find out more about our support, do not hesitate to contact us and speak to our team.

Amy's story

I am raising money for Autism East Midlands as they are a truly great service who have done a lot for my family. My brother, Jack, has attended their day service for several years, giving my family the much needed respite so that we are able to give Jack the best care possible.

Jack has also loved having the routine of somewhere to go Monday to Friday where he can interact with peers. During lockdown Jack struggled with not being able to complete his usual routine and only interacting with our family at home due to the restrictions and for his own safety. AEM has had a massive part in integrating him back into the community once the restrictions were lifted.

It is so hard to put your trust in others when it comes to the care of a loved one and it means a lot to have a service we trust for Jack. Please donate to my cause as I run the Manchester marathon!

Amy Morley, Manchester marathon runner

Ross and Katie's story

We both are very excited and honoured to be participating in this iconic event. One of us is turning 60 this year, and the other is turning 30, and to do something for an amazing charity to celebrate seems very fitting!

The charity has a flagship specialist school in the heart of Nottingham where you will find our inspiration and begrudging training partner Alex!

Also, we have been fortunate enough to have had tours of the dedicated residential services and an innovative training facility to help autistic individuals live independently.

In short, Autism East Midlands provides invaluable support and expertise to ensure autistic individuals can feel heard, valued, in control, independent, respected, and included. We believe this is of critical importance and so whilst 26.2 miles may seem an awfully long way to run, we run with hope and optimism of a more just future for autistic individuals.

We are so grateful for any sponsorship or support received.

Ross Levy, London Marathon runner