Heathfield father running Brighton Marathon in memory of his three-year-old daughter

Matthew Vince’s daughter, Luna-Rose, was born with a rare genetic disorder which meant she was immobile, non-verbal, had low motor skills, and epilepsy.

He said: “She was always smiling. Everyone was drawn to her, she was a beam of light – an amazing little girl.”

Matthew and his partner Samantha Poulton managed to get Luna-Rose a place at Aquamovers - a group at Chailey Heritage School in Lewes led by physiotherapists and speech/language therapists that specialise in pre-school disabled children. Aquamovers is a combination of expert therapy and socialising, with the added opportunity to use our hydrotherapy pool. Matthew said it needs more funding in order to open more weekly classes, which is why getting a place is so difficult.

He said: “It got her moving and stimulated. It’s great for the parents to go to too. Here the children and parents get to interact with each other, get to use specialist equipment, enjoy a different sensory story each week and receive expert advice learning new techniques to help improve cognitive and physical development. Lastly, at the end of the class you have the choice to go to use the on-site hydrotherapy pool to learn new physio whilst having a splash with friends.

“As much as this helps the children, it also helps the parents. It allows them to find fellow parents going through similar experiences which helps them through their own journey.”

Luna-Rose passed away in October 2022 and Matthew’s decided to run the marathon with two friends, Leon Collen and Hugo Porpora, on April 2. All money raised will go towards Aquamovers.

Matthew said although he goes to FFH Gym in Hailsham, he doesn’t enjoy running. However, the money being raised it enough to keep him motivated – as of January 25 the amount raised was more than £10,000. Matthew said: “It’s unbelievable how much people have donated. I’m blown away. It’s made running all those miles much easier. We didn’t know what to expect when we set a target of £5,000, but that was beaten within 24 hours!”

Check out the work Aquamovers does

Matthew’s fundraising page