Gavin Keith Hough

Please support my Ambitious Challenge!

Having a slightly younger brother who faces many challenges in life, it was identified only a handful of years ago (many years in to his adulthood) that he has autism. I don't know how severe it is considered but I believe it was as a result of a vaccination gone wrong when he was just a baby. Physically you wouldn't know it had left its mark but mentally it has and within moments of speaking with him you would know of an underlying condition.

I see his struggle everyday with how life is for him and how unfair it all is. How it has affected us as a family unit and the battles my parents have faced dealing and coping with it.

He is smart kid with a tremendous memory - you could meet him once and he will find out your name and birthday. Ten years later you could bump in to him and he would greet you by reciting that information. A tremendous pool player and not bad at dominoes either. A genius with letters and numbers (he loved Countdown as a kid).

His beauty as a human being and something I wish we all had little more of is that he views everyone on the same level. He would buy everyone a beer and not judge who you are or what you do.

I am sure the support network is much better than ever. But for the majority of my brother’s life, the world wasn’t built to support him, especially in adulthood. My parents have found it really difficult to get any kind of help since he turned 18 (he will be 45 in March 2025).

Up to the age of 18, it felt like we had a great support network from the schools that he attended, to the doctors and specialist teachers who were there to look out for him. Then it was all gone.

My relationship with him… I often struggle, we aren't as close as we should be. Lots of frustrations between the two of us. Felt huge pressure to stay close at the family home, hidden in the background, just to keep an eye on all that goes on and step in every now and again when things get stressful.

I know I should and could be a better brother to him. More patient and understanding but me and my parents are simply learning as we go along. Mainly focus on just keeping the peace and avoiding any discussion as it causes too many heated conversations.

Very envious of my friends who have ‘normal’ sibling relationships. It just hasn’t worked like that for me and my brother.

This ride is a bucket list wanderlust adventure for me. One that has been in the back of my mind for a few years now and the cause that it raises funds for has become closer to me than I have ever thought about until this moment now.

220 miles in one day is a huge undertaking but one that I relish the challenge of facing and overcoming. Starting from my home city of Manchester and finishing in the capital city will be pretty phenomenal!

By crossing the finish line in London, hopefully our collective effort to raise a little money and understanding goes as far as it possibly can for Ambitious about Autism. Your donations mean far more than you will ever know!

Gavin

Ps the photo is from many years ago. My brother Matthew is on the left. It was taken on New Years Eve in Sydney, Australia. It was a once in a lifetime trip that I got to share with him and a small group of my closest friends. And a huge shout out to those friends who supported me in looking out for him on that trip.