When I was 12, my father took me on a day trip from south west Scotland to London for a sandwich. That was it. Just a sandwich in Stansted airport. He did it just so I could fly on a plane for the first time and also get to travel on the Tube. I loved it and it helped spark a teenage love for the London Underground. If you've ever been bored to tears by my Tube facts, he's to blame.

My Dad passed away three years ago, and every year since on his birthday I do something that he would have loved to have done with me. Last year I went to the National Railway Museum, and this year I'm going through every stop on the London Underground to raise money for Mind - the Mental Health Charity. 

When I was a teenager, I suffered quite badly with mental illness and I lost a lot of my adolescence to it. My parents bore a lot of the brunt of caring for me. One of the worst memories I have of my Dad was him sat by my bedside the night I was nearly sectioned, looking terrified because he didn't know what to do and he couldn't make it any better.

Anyone who has ever cared for someone with a mental illness will understand what my Dad felt. Mental illness not only effects those who are ill, but those who love them most. Mind do amazing work not only with reducing stigma, lobbying for more research funding and supporting those who are ill, but also providing support to those who care for people with mental illness. 

My Dad looked after me when I was at my worst and never lived to see me at my best. Whilst I can never repay him for that, I can honour him by being the little Tube nerd he raised me to be and hopefully raise money so other people who love those with mental ill-health can get the support they deserve.