Thank you for reading my story..

I am running the Bristol 10k in order to help raise funds for my mental health placement in Sri Lanka.

In 2004, on Boxing Day, Sri Lanka faced a tsunami and has also only recently seen the end of a 26-year civil war which has caused immense distress and suffering to the population of Sri Lanka. Due to this, many people have been left with mental health issues. The country has one of the highest suicide rates in the world; with an average of 6000 deaths per year and 100,000 per year attempting suicide. With a lack of resources and capacity, the healthcare services are unable to support all of the people affected and in need of care.

As a nearly qualified Occupational Therapist, I have been lucky enough to secure a 4-week placement in Sri Lanka to volunteer to provide mental health services to those who need it. This placement is with SLV Global, a UK based organisation that provides students and graduates with work experience abroad in the mental health sector.

On this placement, I will be working 5 days a week in which I will be working with service users within psychiatric hospitals, individuals with learning disabilities and teaching young children and adults English in order to provide them with maximum development opportunities.

My placement fees alone are £1300 so I would greatly appreciate any support! Whether it is £2 £5 or £10 everything helps!

Thank you so much for reading!