Around 100 families each year are affected by mental health homicide. In 2015 my family was one of the 100, when my dad was murdered by a schizophrenic drug-addicted stranger who had  a history of committing violent crimes.

So that’s 300 families who have gone through hell since I last did the Great North Run in 2016. Although given the state of mental health services at the moment, it’s likely to be more than that...

The Hundred Families charity work with the Criminal Justice System, the Health Service and other organisations to support victims and embed real learning in order to prevent these tragedies happening in future.

This time, the boys are running too! Luke will be running the mini one mile run and Max will be doing the 4km junior run. I’ll be doing the full 13 miles (even though I promised never again, and even though I’m nowhere near as fit as I was 3 years ago!) 

I don’t expect to raise anywhere near as much as I did last time, when I was blown away by people’s generosity. But all donations will be welcomed by this small charity, who are doing fantastic work to help families like mine as well as providing  resources for mental health professionals and others interested in serious violence by the mentally ill.

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.