I entered for three running races this year:

• 19 April - BM10k - to kickstart my fitness and prove that I could cover the distance after some persistent health problems
• 25 May - Vitality London 10,000 - as part of the Celebrate You wave, promoting the positive mental health benefits of exercise
• 5 July - ASICS London 10k - on the MiSP Mindful Running team, helping provide mindfulness teaching to support children's mental health and wellbeing.

Guess what happened? Yep, all CoronaCancelled 😭

But there is good news! 

• Lockdown gave me the opportunity to get out on the trails for my regular exercise, safely social distancing from the city crowds and discovering the countryside on my doorstep
• I completed my own BM10k along the undercliff path, achieving a personal best time on the target date
• MiSP still want me to run 10k for them on 5th July (and I won't be worn out from a day of morris dancing on the 4th 😁)

Who is MiSP?

Mindfulness in Schools Project is the most established provider of mindfulness training for schools, delivering world-leading curricula for classroom-based mindfulness. The materials are based on rigorous research in clinical psychology and neuroscience, written by teachers for teachers, and used successfully in a wide range of educational contexts to support young people's mental health and wellbeing.

Why donate?

Like many charities, Mindfulness in Schools Project has been hit hard by the financial impact of Covid-19. Their income has been significantly reduced, despite increasing demand for their services, advice and training. They have not furloughed their small team as there is so much work to be done, but they desperately need to raise income to ensure the work to bring mindfulness to children can continue. With young people's mental health such a concern, this is really important.

What's my connection?

I trained with MiSP in 2013, enabling me to offer a popular Mindfulness course option for my A Level students. They report that it helps them manage stress and anxiety, cope better with exams and even focus more effectively in class. It's also a welcome period of calm in a typically hectic college day. Ex-students have contacted me to tell me how they continue to reap the benefits of their mindfulness practice long after leaving college. 

When I set up my business, The Life Tutor, I decided to use mindfulness as a core strategy in my academic life coaching programme, recognising its ability to bring positive outcomes in the key areas that cause stress and worry for young people. It reflects my experience of mindfulness as the best way I know to manage my own mental health... especially when combined with running!

Thanks for taking the time to read my JustGiving story

❤ Please help us ensure that young people in every school have the opportunity to learn this life-enhancing skill. 

£775 will sponsor one teacher with no previous mindfulness experience to train from scratch to deliver mindfulness in a school via  a supported place.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe - 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.