I saw that Oxfordshire Mind were looking for people to run Oxford Half Marathon to raise funds. I thought, “I could do that” and before I knew it I’d signed up. I’ve been running for a couple of years and friends have encouraged me to have a go at a half but, up to now, I’ve always found a reason not to. I keep reminding myself that until a couple of years ago I couldn’t even run 3 miles, let alone 13.1!

Mind are a great charity to run for because they do life-changing work at a local level. They work closely with Talking Space Plus, a talking therapies service helping people with anxiety and low mood. They also run workshops and well being groups that make a real difference. Having experienced episodes of low mood myself and seen at first hand the impact of mental health difficulties on friends, family and the wider community, I'm a passionate believer in raising awareness of mental health issues, talking about them to normalise our perceptions of mental illness and supporting the agencies that address these issues.

I'm also hoping to raise awareness of the positive impact of running and exercise on mental health. Personally, I've found that running and exercise can have huge benefits in terms of managing mood and stress.

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.