Portsmouth dad travels 21 miles in unusual ways including unicycling, juggling and running blindfolded for Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association

Ben Brooks and his family have been supported by Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association for years, after his daughter Robin was diagnosed with the condition three days after being born.

After a tough year for the charity’s fundraising, the 34-year-old has taken on a weird and wonderful approach to bringing in much-needed support to give back for all the help Robin, now six, has had over the years.

Ben, from Stamshaw, is taking on a mile each day for 21 days in a variety of unusual ways including riding a unicycle, wearing his wife Stacey’s high heels and even giving Robin a piggyback.

He said: ‘They have given our family and Robin in particular so much since we have been a member of the charity.

‘We have made so many friends through the charity who we speak to on a daily basis. The value of the charity is more than the monetary things.’

This comes as part of the charity’s T21 challenge, which comes from the medical term for Down syndrome, trisomy 21.

The challenge is seeing people across the city taking on various feats surrounding the number 21, including Sam Ford who aims to complete 441 crossbars in 21 days.

Ben’s wife Stacey, who is events lead for the charity’s Primary and Early Years Team, is also taking on 21 runs of 5km throughout October for her own challenge.

Stacey has been helping to photograph and film Ben’s efforts, which have involved Robin and younger brother William, two, wherever possible.

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The family have enjoyed coming up with interesting and funny ways to travel a mile, with one of the hardest proving to be the crawling challenge.

Ben, who works in IT, said: ‘You think anyone can crawl but crawling for a mile was a lot more tiring and I wore out the skin on my knees.

‘The most fun about the whole thing is that you can get away with anything if you’re wearing a charity vest.’

So far, he has raised more than £1,400 which could go towards funding a child’s Primary School Outreach Service for a year.

This service, which Robin benefits from, helps to educate teachers and schools on how best to support the needs of children with Down syndrome.

For Ben, it’s not all about the money, but to raise awareness of what the condition is.

He said: ‘We are getting some support behind the charity and making the day-to-day running costs easier but also normalising it.

‘Down syndrome is not something that is scary. I’m a really happy dad and love both my kids equally, it’s not life changing in a bad way.

‘My daughter is going to a mainstream school with children her own age and she’s just as capable as any other child. It’s about awareness so people aren’t scared to talk about it.’

Visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/TheBenBrooks to learn more and donate.

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