Over the last few years, the topic of mental health has been increasingly discussed as more people are beginning to open up about mental illness. Last year, it was discovered that 1 in 4 adults struggled with a mental disorder and that suicide killed more people than road traffic accidents. These statistics are shocking but can be reduced with the help of charities and helplines.

This year, I will be running the Brighton Marathon for a leading mental health charity - Mind. When choosing a charity to run for, I felt passionately about the importance and recognition of mental disorders, especially when finding that 3 quarters of suicides each year are committed by men. I often find that when it comes to mental health, men are more likely to suffer in silence than speak out about it due to the fear of being shamed or laughed at.

Sadly, in the summer of 2017, a special friend to many and a beloved son and brother was taken too early. Jordie Rae was a good man with not a bad bone in his body, he had a heart of gold and will be missed dearly. I will be running this marathon in memory of him in a hope to help bring the above statistics down.

So dig deep people, now is the chance to raise awareness for a fantastic cause, offering help to those who most need it. Every penny counts and even the smallest of donations can make a big difference:

• Just £8 could offer a lifeline to someone in desperate need of support by letting the Mind infoline team answer a potentially critical call
• £15 could help Mind campaign for better access to therapy, crisis care and other essential mental health services
• £21 could keep Elefriends (the Mind online support community) running for a whole hour

Please help raise money for this amazing charity, spread the word and get people talking about mental health.