Marathon Effort Launched to Fund Sunshine & Smiles’ First Permanent Home

On 10 May, Ailith will take on the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon to raise funds for one of the most ambitious projects Sunshine & Smiles has ever undertaken – A Home for Sunshine & Smiles.

Ailith is the co‑founder and manager of Sunshine & Smiles, and for the past 13 years has dedicated her life to supporting children and young people with Down syndrome, and their families, across Leeds. Her commitment is deeply personal: Ailith is also mum to a 16‑year‑old daughter with Down syndrome, and says she knows “first‑hand how vital the right support, community and opportunities really are.”

She ran her first marathon for Sunshine & Smiles in 2013, and every mile since has been fuelled by the same belief: “that every person with Down syndrome deserves to belong, to be included and to thrive.”

Now, the charity is taking the biggest step in its history. Sunshine & Smiles wants to create a fully accessible, sustainable hub – a permanent home where families can meet, groups and therapies can run, activities can thrive, café and employment projects can grow, and staff and volunteers can come together under one roof. Crucially, the centre would also be open to the wider community, offering a genuinely inclusive, barrier‑free space for people of all ages and abilities across Leeds.

As Ailith describes it, it will be “a place designed with, and for, our community – a place Leeds can be proud of.”

She is also realistic about the scale of the challenge ahead. Creating a permanent home will cost hundreds of thousands of pounds. While Sunshine & Smiles will apply for capital grants, vital donations and fundraising will be needed to turn the vision into reality.

That is why Ailith is once again lacing up her running shoes. By taking on the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon, she hopes to build momentum, inspire support and move Sunshine & Smiles one step closer to a permanent, safe and welcoming home for the community it supports.