Thank you for taking the time to visit my fundraising page – my name is Anton and I tragically lost my partner, Rachel Gow, last November when she ended her own life at young age of 29.

Rachel was the most beautiful, fun and loving person I have ever met and from the outside she seemed to be the happiest person to be around. She was loved by all her friends and family and was always the spark and centre of attention at any social gathering. Rachel was a very bright girl who held bachelor’s degree in History. After graduating, she went onto adventuring to see the world and visited many countries such as Fiji, Australia, America and Canada to name a few. Rachel was always a very caring person and recently changed career path towards helping others at the NHS.

Unfortunately Rachel suffered with depression & anxiety and whilst she always had a big smile on her face, to many her condition was completely hidden. This is what makes depression so dangerous as most who suffer can hide it very well and can act completely normal whilst still struggling inside. Many think that others knowing they have the condition will impact their lives negatively and be treated differently so they chose to hide it.

Rachel was struggling with this condition for many years however the most difficult struggle came with the passing of her mother over 3 years ago to cancer. Rachel struggled to deal with other personal issues logically and her anxiety would amplify any worries she had to a point of severe depression. Rachel tediously tried to seek professional help but was put on waiting lists that lasted months to see professional psychiatrists due to the postal area we lived in. There was not enough resource in place by the local NHS trust to get the right help when she needed it the most. There are also many like her who are either on long waiting lists for psychiatric help or just don’t know how to access the right services which may be available to them.

Mind is a mental health charity which campaigns for changes to take place and have more urgent help available to help those who need it especially in areas with limited resource. They provide information and support to people in critical need, provide drop in centres, crisis helplines, training schemes and work towards removing the social stigma associated with having mental health problems.

To contribute to this charity, myself and 4 friends will be fundraising by cycling roughly 170 miles from Bridlington to Morecambe on the 4th & 5th July. My aim is to try and raise as much awareness as possible and raise money for this vital cause. Any donation is welcome big or small. Thank you for reading my story and I hope together we can help others who are suffering daily from this heart breaking condition.