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Mental health problems among the UK Armed Forces have increased 78 per cent in the last eight years. This rise is partly because of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but it is also because personnel are more aware of the help available. These figures are not surprising but it is just the tip of the iceberg. Many serving soldiers and veterans don’t know how to help themselves when their mental health slips and struggle to come forward to ask for help.

This fear of seeking help is leading to the ever increasing number of troops taking their own lives with nearly 400 troops killing themselves between 1995 and 2014. Troops most likely to take their lives are male single soldiers age 20 to 24, who comprise a quarter of these deaths.

Living life in the armed forces as a 24 year old I see how hard it is for troops to admit to needing help or even finding it and along with these stark figures I have been inspired to raise the profile of mental health, to get people talking about the highs and lows of military life and to keep us mentally fit. With more people talking about mental health, knowing more about what keeps us well and what can pull us out of dark places we can reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and prevent these figures from rising, keeping our Armed Forces happy and healthy.
I am raising money for Lancashire Mind, my local mental health charity. They work across the county to build resilience and improve mental wellbeing for all. Any financial support they receive will go directly to working with people in Lancashire to improve their mental health.

Please sponsor me to complete the Manchester Marathon, helping to raise awareness of mental health in the Armed Forces and generate some much needed funds to help the mental health of our troops.