Newbury businesswoman's 184 mile walk for Mary Hare

Shop owner raising funds for primary school relocation

A NEWBURY businesswoman is walking the full 184 miles of the Thames Path later this month.

Suki Malli, who owns the DAJ Collection handbag shop in Parkway, is undertaking the challenge to raise funds for the Mary Hare Foundation.

She is aiming to complete the walk in just eight days, staying at hotels along the River Thames on the way.

On the longest day, she will walk a total of 25 miles.

Any money raised will help pay for the relocation of Mary Hare Primary School to the same site as the current secondary school in Snelsmore Common.

The school positively impacts and changes the lives of many deaf children and their families, something that is made possible through support from the surrounding community.

Mary Hare Primary School is very close to Mrs Malli’s heart.

Her son, Daneil, was born severely deaf and joined the school in 1998.

Daneil had minimal speech up until the age of nine and was reliant on gestures and lip-reading.

In 2001, after much deliberation with professionals and support from the school, Daneil received his first cochlear implant, an electronic medical device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear.

Mary Hare School and The Portland Hospital, London, worked tirelessly in helping Daneil to develop his speech.

His sisters always encouraged him to talk and would join in with his daily gruelling hour of speech therapy at home.

Daneil now works part-time at Tesco, where he talks endlessly with customers, while also furthering his studies.

In 2011, Daneil was offered a cochlear implant on his other ear, after doing so well from the first.

If you would like to support Mrs Malli, donations can be made to her just-giving page at justgiving.com/fundraising/Suki-malli or in person at DAJ Collection, Parkway shopping centre.