Get Penny to London 2017!
Donation protected
Hi, I'm Penny. I am autistic and I have cerebral palsy, and I am a sprinter (100m) and thrower (shot put). I took up athletics in 2013, following the Paralympics in London 2012. Not that unusual, you might think, but I'd been a sport and fitness avoider all my life, I'm disabled and, erm, I'm in my mid-30s.
I don't do the glamorous side of disability sport - I'm not an amputee, I don't have a shiny wheelchair, I'm not super speedy and I'm not young and beautiful. I am in no way Born To Run. I do the grind of winter training and fling myself down the track in summer even though my body resists this every step of the way.
That said, I'm doing pretty well. I've been national champion 3 years in a row, won some pretty trophies, been highly commended for awards and got myself onto a British Athletics talent scheme (Parallel Success Academy). To get better, to go to the World Championships in London in 2017 and then the Paralympics in Tokyo in 2020, I need to invest more money, and that's money I don't have. Everything I earn goes into this sport.
Every time I travel to training, it costs money. Every time I compete, I have to pay for travel and hotels. I don't drive, I don't have parents funding me, I am a full-time PhD student with no stipend. To make ends meet, I have a part-time job, but I also have a full-on training load. Our household income is tiny.
I have no sponsors. I can't afford warm weather training, which would make a massive difference to my performance as my cerebral palsy means I get a limited amount from my body when it's cold outside - even training indoors, I have to warm up from travelling between Leeds and Sheffield by public transport. I can't afford to compete internationally against the best in the world, even though I am hugely competitive and produce my best performances under the most pressure.
I need your help. I can't do this on my own. By the end of the 2016 season, I need to have achieved certain things to move up a level, and doing the same again - however hard I work - won't make that happen. This means I need money, and I hate asking for that.
There's nobody else like me - even the older athletes in my sport have transferred from other sports, competed as younger people or in mainstream sport or acquired their disabilities through accident or illness. I was born with my disabilities and have no background in sport. I have built an athlete's body from nothing.
I would be so grateful if you or your business could donate what you can to my campaign. If you can't donate, please share my campaign.
I don't do the glamorous side of disability sport - I'm not an amputee, I don't have a shiny wheelchair, I'm not super speedy and I'm not young and beautiful. I am in no way Born To Run. I do the grind of winter training and fling myself down the track in summer even though my body resists this every step of the way.
That said, I'm doing pretty well. I've been national champion 3 years in a row, won some pretty trophies, been highly commended for awards and got myself onto a British Athletics talent scheme (Parallel Success Academy). To get better, to go to the World Championships in London in 2017 and then the Paralympics in Tokyo in 2020, I need to invest more money, and that's money I don't have. Everything I earn goes into this sport.
Every time I travel to training, it costs money. Every time I compete, I have to pay for travel and hotels. I don't drive, I don't have parents funding me, I am a full-time PhD student with no stipend. To make ends meet, I have a part-time job, but I also have a full-on training load. Our household income is tiny.
I have no sponsors. I can't afford warm weather training, which would make a massive difference to my performance as my cerebral palsy means I get a limited amount from my body when it's cold outside - even training indoors, I have to warm up from travelling between Leeds and Sheffield by public transport. I can't afford to compete internationally against the best in the world, even though I am hugely competitive and produce my best performances under the most pressure.
I need your help. I can't do this on my own. By the end of the 2016 season, I need to have achieved certain things to move up a level, and doing the same again - however hard I work - won't make that happen. This means I need money, and I hate asking for that.
There's nobody else like me - even the older athletes in my sport have transferred from other sports, competed as younger people or in mainstream sport or acquired their disabilities through accident or illness. I was born with my disabilities and have no background in sport. I have built an athlete's body from nothing.
I would be so grateful if you or your business could donate what you can to my campaign. If you can't donate, please share my campaign.
Organizer
Penny C S Andrews
Organizer
