Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Back in October, me and my friend Claudine decided to enter the Snowdonia half marathon.  Claudine lives in Wales and we have done a bit of walking in the area, and after a few glasses of wine it seemed like a good idea at the time!  This really is a tough route with huge inclines of up to 700 meters in the mountains.  With very limited training under my belt, I thought I'd set up a justgiving page for both some moral support and encouragement as well as to raise money and awareness for a worthy cause.

I hadn't set up a justgiving page sooner because, due to a number of reasons, I wasn't actually convinced I would really be able to do this and so I thought that the less people that knew about it, the better.  However, I have realised that it is when you are struggling and need a helping hand that you most need to try & tell your friends and family and ask for support and encouragement.  We tend to talk about the things we can do well, and it is having the courage to talk about the things that you find a bit harder and allowing yourself to be supported that can be more difficult.  

Reflecting on this concept of reaching for help when we need it, made me realise I wanted to raise money and awareness for CALM.  Campaign Against Living Miserably is a charity specifically to support young men at risk of mental health difficulties & thinking of taking their own lives.  Suicide and mental health difficulties can affect us all but it is the biggest killer of young men in particular.  Men in particular find talking about their feelings & emotions  harder and are less likely to reach for the support of friends, family and professionals when they need it.  

I am raising money and awareness for CALM, in memory of a bright, kind and talented young man (Lanfranco Gaglione) who took his life 2 years ago at 26 years of age.  His death was a shock to everyone that knew him and a very sad loss.  Since his death, all his friends and family have proactively been raising money and awareness for CALM to try and prevent suicide and keep Lan in our memories.  

So, hopefully I will complete the run, but if I don't, it is the taking part that counts, and every good luck wish and penny sponsored will help carry me another step across Snowdonia as well as help raise awareness of a charity that may be able to help any young man you know that is having difficulties seeing a way forward with their problems.

Thank you for your support.  Yildiz x