Mental health problems such depression and anxiety can affect anyone at any time. I myself am all too aware of this.

When it happened to me, I was able to access counselling because I was able to pay for it; not everyone who might benefit from counselling will be as fortunate as I was.

Offington Counselling Service in Worthing is a charity that provides high quality counselling for those who may not normally be able to access it due to financial constraints. The counselling I received through OCS helped me at a time when I really needed it, and I can personally vouch for the quality of the counselling and benefits of being able to talk things things through.

OCS operates a bursary fund to support access to counselling services for those on very low incomes, and it is my wish to contribute to this fund.

Since the start of this year I have been running. Anyone who knows me will realise that this was a big step for me, having spent most of my adult life in a largely sedentary state! Initially, my intention was simply to get some exercise and to try to lose a little bit of weight, but as time went on I actually started to enjoy running, and started to set myself challenges - not to set the world alight with my distance prowess or speed, but simply to prove to myself that I could do more than I first thought.

On my first runs I struggled to reach 5k, but I gradually got there and eventually started doing the Clair Parkrun in Haywards Heath, setting not only respectable times but steadily improving. In May, I ran the Burgess Hill 10k, aiming to do so in under and hour, a target that I achieved

The buzz from this achievement, and from earning my first medal for running, convinced me to set my next challenge, which brings us to now...

On Sunday 24th September I will be running in the Rotary Folkestone Half Marathon. I have been training hard over the last 12 weeks and feel as ready as I can be. I know that I'm not going to be setting a record time or anything, and I have but two targets: to finish, and to do so without stopping to walk.

This is about challenging myself, and if I can raise a little bit of money for a worthy cause that is important to me, then I look on that as a bonus. Please consider sponsoring me; all money pledged as a result of my efforts will be donated to the OCS bursary fund.

Thank you