Please Help me raise funds and awareness for mental health. I am doing a 1 mile wild swim in lake Windermere on the 7th June 2019

This is a cause I feel very passionate about as from an early age I have been directly subjected from the effects of mental health. My mum has suffered most of her adult life with manic depression. Making a huge impact on our family’s lives, from early age we have seen mum in states of extreme sadness sometimes in certain situations we would have to go to emergency foster care for a day or two.

Going onto our teens mums depression spiralled to alcohol abuse leading to us being neglected and in constant liaise with social services. Mum suffered the effects of severe alcohol addiction for 22 years. Until this time last year under the influence she had a fall, hit her head which lead to her have a brain hemorage she was so close to dying it was very traumatic for us all she had to have brain surgery and was in a coma for 2 months before she woke, at first she couldn’t walk, talk or even eat, so we didn’t know how severe the brain damage was, she has since then recovered a lot but not to her full self. She is now in a care home with 24 hour care. Her memory isn’t to good but she is safe and being looked after which is the main thing. She is still in contact with NAVIGO having fortnightly visit to help asses her needs.

I have myself suffered with anxiety and depression and think just being aware of what it is if your feeling down or nervous you don’t feel as bad. I am quite open about my mental health to people as I feel it is a topic which needs to be spoken about more openly. Literally nearly everyone I speak to has at some point in their life suffered themselves or know someone who has suffered with some kind of mental health issue. There are too many people suffering in silence because of the stigma behind it, this is where deeper problems can occur.

Let’s help spread awareness, please donate it could be you or your family who is helped, anything even as little as £1 will help xxx thank you xxx