Team Natasha Takes on The Royal Parks Half
Golden leaves, crisp air, and misty mornings — autumn in London is nothing short of enchanting. This was the perfect setting for a truly extraordinary day, as Team Natasha took on the iconic Royal Parks Half Marathon on Sunday 12 October.
Our team included fantastic young supporter, Jayden Poole, 17, from Epping. Jayden has a milk allergy and had an anaphylactic reaction to dairy at just seven months old. He said:
“As a child I felt very different to other children, and it made me feel like I was missing out. One year I asked Santa to take my allergies away!”
When Jayden was 15, he was able to take part in oral immunotherapy treatment (OIT). He underwent a milk challenge in hospital where he received tiny but increasing amounts of dairy to establish how much dairy he could safely tolerate. He was then told to consume a daily dose just below that level, and this increased over time (under close medical supervision) until he could tolerate 120ml of milk or equivalent foods without having an allergic reaction.
This experience has been life-changing for Jayden and has taken away so much stress around food. He said:
“I can now eat limited amounts of foods like pizza and dairy chocolate which is amazing. I can eat at almost any restaurant now and can join in with my friends!”
Jayden wanted to run the Royal Parks Half for Natasha’s Foundation to #MakeAllergyHistory and help us continue our work to improve the lives of millions of people like him living with food allergies. He has raised over £1,300 to support our mission, an incredible achievement.
Jayden was also one of the youngest runners taking part on Sunday. He said:
“I was interviewed by the event compere which was live on the big screen and was a great opportunity to raise awareness of Natasha’s Foundation and what it has done for me.”
Jayden – you are a true inspiration!
Our team also included our wonderful supporter Caroline Ambler, from Jersey.
Caroline was inspired to join Team Natasha after hearing from Nadim and Tanya at the Jersey Allergy Conference in November 2024. This conference was organised by Caroline’s friend, Dominic Jones, and it was the first event of its kind in the Channel Islands. Working together, we want to improve the lives of people with food allergies in the Channel Islands and help to keep them safe.
This important event in Jersey laid the groundwork for meaningful change, and Caroline wanted to get involved and raise awareness for her daughter, who lives with severe food allergies. She signed up to take part in the The Royal Parks Half Marathon and has raised over £1,200 to support Natasha’s Foundation.
Caroline said:
“The sun shone, London was fabulous. I was proud to wear my Natasha’s Foundation vest, and this led to a lovely conversation with another runner whilst they were running. She asked me about Natasha’s Foundation, shook my hand and wished me luck.
“This moment reminded me why I started, and it was so rewarding to share the mission behind Natasha’s Foundation, a charity which is very close to my heart.”
We are so grateful to every member of Team Natasha who took part in the Royal Parks Half this weekend, for all of their hard work, dedication and commitment. Their passion for raising awareness and vital funds has been phenomenal – and it means so much to us.
Their stories remind us of the remarkable difference one person can make to change the world.