Thank you very much for visiting my JustGiving page.

I am running the Clacton Half Marathon for Mind for several reasons but principally to raise awareness of their important work and to ask people to support them. About 1/4 of people in the UK will suffer from a mental health problem of some kind each and every year and there continues to be a stigma in some parts of society which discourages people in need of help from seeking it. This seems strange as I'm sure we all know somebody who has suffered in some way, if we haven't suffered ourselves. Mind provides a range of important services. For some people who get in contact with the charity, Mind's wonderful team seem to be the only voices that will listen to them and take them seriously.

I am particularly trying to raise awareness of mental health concerns within the farming and wider rural community, as well as problems experienced by younger people and people who have experienced traumas in life resulting in poor mental health. Since last year a few of us on social media have been using the hashtag #FarmerMentalHealth to try and keep the conversation going, but there is a lot more work to be done.

Often it doesn't take much for your mental health to suffer. It can creep up on you and then something can trigger a breakdown that you hadn't foreseen, resulting in one of the scariest things you can experience. Having been through this personally I know quite how terrifying it can be. However, there are ways of getting through it, but it's only really possible through support, which the wonderful people at Mind can provide.

I would really appreciate if you could give a donation. You will be helping someone more than you can imagine. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV5_LQArLa0 

For an idea of how your funds could help:

£8 could offer a lifeline to someone in a desperate need of support by letting the Mind infoline team answer their call.

£15 could help Mind campaign for better access to talking therapies, crisis care and other essential mental health services.

£21 could keep Elefriends, Mind's online support community, running for 1 hour.   

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.