In March I will be embarking on a tough & testing adventure. I am taking part in a yacht race around the British and Irish coast leaving from and returning to Weymouth starting on March 27 and taking around a month to complete.
The race is called The Round Britain and Ireland Challenge and involves racing identical boats clockwise around the coast stopping off for a quick break every few days to recharge batteries. See http://www.rbic.co.uk/ for more details.
Its going to be cold, probably pretty rough at times, involve sleep deprivation, intense concentration and hard work. Its going to take me to places I've never been before both geographically and within myself.
For me the joy of sailing is the total escape from the stresses of everyday life, the sea is a different world and the challenges are more straightforward. From the glorious meditative qualities of miles and miles of gently rippling sea and the occasional visits of its inhabitants to the raw quality of waves and wind this is a mind cleansing activity.
I would like to use this personal opportunity to help raise funds and awareness for the Mental Health Foundation.
So many of us suffer quietly with low level mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression, trying to struggle on not realising these are illnesses and not simply weaknesses that will be overcome if ignored. There is still a lot of work to do to acknowledge these illnesses for what they are. All of us, particularly young people, need to be able to identify the difference between feeling stressed or a bit down and suffering from clinical anxiety or depression. We need to be able to tell our friends, colleagues and tutors without fear of stigma and to ask for help from the appropriate medical experts without fear of labelling or even fear of prescribed drugs. We must all also understand others when they tell us as friends and colleagues & tutors of any illness they may have and respond as we would with any other illness, with compassion and support. Things have progressed in a positive direction over the years, especially with the help of organisations like the Mental Health Foundation raising awareness and providing support.
This is why I would like to take this opportunity to ask you to help raise money for the Mental Health Foundation so that they can continue with their great work providing support and advice for those with mental illness and raising awareness of a subject many find difficult to confront.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.
Please keep in touch with my progress as I prepare for this challenge. I will keep you posted on this page and on my facebook page: Jesmond's-Epic_Sea_Adventure.
Cheers
Jesmond :-)
