A mother’s London Marathon for 22 years of support

This year, Berni is running the London Marathon for Sense. Sense has been supporting Berni’s daughter, Joanna, for 22 years at Sense Centre Barnet. Like her mum, Joanna enjoys swimming. Joanna loves wearing lots of jewellery and has an excellent memory.

Joanna is autistic, has severe/moderate learning difficulties, and has cerebral palsy as well as vision and hearing loss. For the first half of her life, Joanna and Berni weren’t able to find support that suited Joanna’s needs. After struggling to get Joanna settled, Berni turned to Sense.

At Sense, Joanna is looked at as very much an individual. The staff look at her needs and what support she needs. I’m just so grateful that Joanna found Sense and the team at Sense.

To be somewhere for 22 years, that’s quite remarkable, really, isn’t it?

Berni reflecting on her daughters time at Sense

Joanna’s mum, Berni, shares their story…

Running the London Marathon for Sense

Around eight years ago, I joined a local triathlete club. I could never run, but enjoyed swimming and cycling. The club itself started up a power walking group, and I completed a Couch to 5k in October 2025, and running evolved from there.

When the opportunity came up to compete in the actual London Marathon for Sense, I just went for it.

Sense is a very personal charity to me because they have changed my daughter’s life, and mine.

Joanna

Joanna’s journey to Sense

Joanna was born prematurely after a very difficult pregnancy and was very poorly. She was diagnosed at 8 months old with cerebral palsy, hearing and vision difficulties. Unable to reach any milestones and constantly crying, she was diagnosed with autism when she was about 5 years old. 

Growing up in London, Joanna wasn’t able to access a local education provision because our local authority felt they couldn’t meet her needs.

We struggled to get her settled anywhere, and we moved her from a day provision in a different borough, to a weekly residential school, which she hated, and then to a specialist school in Staffordshire, where she stayed until sixth form college. Unfortunately, the school closed down when Joanna was 18, and she had to move to another residential college.

I knew nothing about disability or autism when I had Joanna, so I didn’t know any difference at the time. I was just going along with the professionals and listening to them. I was still very young myself and a first-time mum, so I just didn’t think for a minute that what they were saying wasn’t correct.

This college placement failed due to Joanna’s difficult behaviour and the college staff’s failure to meet her needs, and she returned home. The local authority put in two-to-one support at home and a waking night staff so we could support Joanna at home. She was able to eventually attend a local day provision, but again, the day provision wasn’t able to support Joanna’s needs and behaviour.

It was then that the manager of the day service provision asked, ‘Have you heard of Sense?’. We had not.

In desperation, I rang up the day centre, and I spoke to the manager at the time. I explained a bit about Joanna and what we had been through, and they weren’t fazed at all. They said they would love to come and meet Joanna at home.

I’ll never forget how they came to meet Joanna, and they explained that being deafblind is similar to being autistic, because you’ve got to learn and understand the world and environment around you, to allow yourself to feel safe. They believed Joanna was just very frightened, and she didn’t understand what was expected of her. Sense’s day centre has given her the security and routine to help Joanna thrive.

After finding Sense

Joanna started attending the Sense day centre in Barnet over 22 years ago, and we haven’t looked back since. At Sense, Joanna is looked at as an individual. The staff look at her needs and what supports she needs.

It’s obvious that she is much more aware, takes things on board and understands things in a way that we never ever thought was possible.

The whole ethos of Sense is fantastic. Sense has been such a positive thing in our lives. Sometimes I wonder if we’d been involved with Sense when Joanna was younger, how different her life outcomes would be.

Sense is an organisation that changes lives, I can vouch for that 100%. The money you raise is vital for Sense to continue doing its valuable work. It really does change lives.

Instead of looking at what Joanna can’t do, Sense has encouraged the positives, no matter how small and not noticed by so many people, helping Joanna’s self-esteem and self-confidence grow.

I am just so grateful that Joanna found Sense and for the team at Sense. How different her life would be now if it weren’t for the tremendous work done by the charity.  The team at Sense Barnet are so lovely, they are just absolutely great. Joanna never says she does not want to go, which is testament in itself and to be somewhere for 22 years, that’s quite remarkable really, isn’t it? We are very lucky.