Hey everyone, thanks for heading over to my just giving page. 

As some of you may already know, I have taken on the challenge of the Great East Run, Ipswich Half Marathon, I'm not a natural runner by any means, but training is in full swing and I intend on crossing the line in at least some working order. 

I am taking on this new challenge for the charity MIND. Not many people will know that, in 2015 I was officially, after many years struggling to understand what was going on, diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). The journey has been tough and is still very much a work in progress, that being said I have been fortunate enough to have a small group of the best people around me to support and guide me through the tough times. 

Over the years I have tried various forms of therapy (whilst sometimes just needing to hide from the world), yoga, counselling, all of which have been important steps to finding the right way to cope, but for me, running and training is what saved me from myself. The freedom of pounding the pavements, the fresh air making me focus on my breathing and learning to push away stress and anxiety. Reaching the finish line, for me, is the beginning of a new journey. "To get to the finish line, you have to try a lot of different paths."

It is for this reason I have set myself the challenge of the half marathon, to raise money for a charity that supports mental health and works with those affected. "Every year, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem."

MIND works so hard to relieve the stigma of mental health and to reach out to those who need the right support when times are tough, give them the opportunity to find the right coping strategy that works for them and most importantly showing them they are not alone. 

"We won't give up until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets support and respect. We believe no-one should have to face a mental health problem alone."

Please join me on my journey - be it through whatever donation you can make, training by my side, or even having a chat, its time to open up and remove the stigma! Whether you're in a similar position to myself or not, conversation is a life-saver!

I will be posting progress updates which you can follow both here and using the #goodeyshalf on Instagram. 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page and thank you in advance for any donations you can make.

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.