20-year-old student from UWE, set to run her second half marathon after raising £39,000 for Down’s Syndrome Association UK and Scotland with a long relay run in March.
Iris Hammond is a Law and Business student from Somerset and organised a relay run from Lands’ End to John O’Groats in March last year.
Iris has recently completed the Cardiff Half Marathon in 2hr 8min where she’s raised more money for The Down’s Syndrome Association.
Iris is set to run the Paris Half Marathon in February, and the Edinburgh Half Marathon in May, all in aid of The Down’s Syndrome Association.
Iris is now a Down’s Syndrome Association ambassador, where her drive to change the narrative around Down’s Syndrome and raise money is still a big aspiration for Iris.
Iris is currently setting up a podcast with her friend Ethan, who is a sibling of someone with Down’s Syndrome. With this podcast, Iris is trying to continue the conversation around Down’s Syndrome and educate people on what Down’s Syndrome really is.
Iris’ aspiration is to make Run Across an annual event and to have people take part every year on March 21 for International Down’s Syndrome Day.
Iris’ charity work for the Down’s Syndrome Association UK and Scotland started last year where she organised and ran a 1,053 mile relay Run Across the UK. The run took place over a two-week period and involved 100 people.
Iris ran the ‘glory miles’ starting with 18 miles at Lands’ End. Raising £16,000 up to race day and then raising around £1,000 a day over the 2-week period.
Iris was inspired to do this by her younger sister Nancy by striking up a conversation around Down’s Syndrome and changing the narrative, saying: “society doesn’t understand the capabilities of people with Down’s Syndrome”.
Nancy plays football every Sunday at St Pauls Community Centre, this football team is for people with Down’s Syndrome and is sponsored by Bristol City. The football team was created as a way for increasing diversity and inclusion. Iris says: “The club is an opportunity for people who have Down’s Syndrome to keep active and do things they love as part of a larger community.”
