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My friend, Chas Begley, and I are doing a 16k duo open ocean swim around the island of Pulau Besar in Malaysia. This is going to be a monumental challenge, not just because of the training involved to be fit enough to swim 8k each but also the mental challenge of an ocean swim, sharing our swim space with the marine wildlife, contending with jelly fish, sea lice, and who knows what else (hopefully some sea turtles...)! We will have a support boat, which is great, but also a time limit which adds pressure  - so I decided this particular ridiculous physical challenge warranted a bit of fund raising.

MIND provides a critical resource when there are precious few around for those suffering with mental health issues. For teenagers suffering there is a two year waiting list to see a pyschiatrist or counsellor on the NHS and the Dept of Health has advised GPs not to issue anti-depressants to 16-18 year olds. So teenagers have been effectively abandoned. For other age groups wrestling with their mental health the publicity campaigns urge everyone to reach out and talk but, as many of us know, when you're at the bottom of the pit the absolute last thing you feel capable of doing is talking. So MIND is a crucial resource that people can access as and when they feel the need and without which more individuals would remain isolated. On behalf of my close friends and family who have had need of this amazing website, I am very happy to raise funds for MIND.