Running has given me a lot over 10 years. But if I'm honest, the reason I'm running for Mind goes deeper than that.

Growing up, my mum struggled. She had her own difficult childhood, things she never got the support to process, and that shaped the way she parented us. Not out of malice. But the anxious, avoidant attachment style she carried meant that healthy communication, emotional openness, and feeling truly seen weren't things I grew up with.

For a long time, I didn't have the language for what that meant for me.

About six years ago, I started to notice the patterns. The overthinking, the catastrophising, the assumptions I'd make in relationships, the way I'd struggle to communicate what I actually felt. Something was off, but I couldn't name it yet.

Two years ago, in therapy, I finally could. What I'd experienced was childhood trauma. Not the kind that announces itself, the quieter kind, that shapes you slowly, in ways you don't realise until you're an adult trying to figure out why certain things are so hard.

My mum is no longer with us. And one of the things I carry is the knowledge that if she'd had access to proper mental health support when she was young, things might have been different, for her, and for all of us.

That's why Mind matters to me. Because early support changes trajectories. Because people shouldn't have to pass their pain on simply because they had nowhere to take it.

I'm in therapy now. I'm learning. I'm actively supporting my family through their own mental health journeys. And I'm running 21KM through Royal Park to say: get help when you need it. Support others when you can. It matters more than most people realise.

If any part of this resonates with you, please donate. Even a small amount goes toward making sure more people get the support my mum never had.