First direct turns
30 on 01 October 2019.  As part of the celebrations, I have been selected
as part of a team of 21 colleagues to climb Kilimanjaro on 17 September this
year.

The expedition is
an amazing opportunity for me personally, but more importantly, seeks to
support and raise awareness for a very worthy cause.

Our charity
partners, MIND (England) and SAMH (Scotland) are on a journey to provide
support and respect for everyone with a mental health problem. They have
already made some significant changes, and with improvements in public attitude
support is growing. Because of their work, millions more people have access to
advice and support, however, there is much more to do.

In many ways,
mental health is just like physical health; everybody has it and we need to
take care of it. The benefits of this expedition have a direct link with mental
health, and are further illustrated in a current campaign “Mountains for Mind”
who share my belief in the power of the mountains to change lives and improve
mental health.  The mountain is symbolic of the struggles we can all face
throughout our lives. To quote Sir Edmund Hillary “It is not the mountain we
conquer but ourselves”

My individual target is to raise £2500, and if together we achieve this, our team will raise
£75k which would be amazing. It is very important to me that you all know any
donations go directly to this worthy cause. The entire cost of the trip is
being funded separately by first direct, with a personal contribution from each
member of the team.

If you are happy
to sponsor/support me via my just giving page below then this would contribute
to fundraising for MIND and would be eligible for £1 for £1 matching by HSBC
(up to maximum £1000) plus you may be able to tick gift aid dependent upon your
personal circumstances.

Thank you in
advance for your contribution. You have no idea how much it means to me to have
your support.