Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Health in Mind are a Scottish charity that provide support for those that suffer from mental health issues. One of the groups that I attend is the Depression and Anxiety support group. I was first diagnosed with depression in my teenage years and have had many ups and downs along the way but, with the support networks I’ve built and sustained, I’m still here and want to help others. 

I can’t put into words how much the charity/group has helped me but has also opened up a new perception, for myself, on how others talk about their mental health. I think it’s safe to say that we have exhausted the phrase “It’s okay not to be okay”, it’s the next steps that really matter. I plan to raise as much money as I can to help fund more groups across Edinburgh. Open-user groups, such as this one, allow you to attend in your own time, listen to others stories/coping mechanisms, with no pressure of talking - for some people, that’s all they need. 

Some examples of where the money raised will be going:

- £55 provides 1 hour of specialist trauma counselling 

- It costs £100 to train a support a volunteer befriender to help at least for one person who has become isolated to connect with their community 

- £100 could buy supplies for an Art Therapy group which lasts 3 months

- £500 would cover the costs of one of our courses at our Wellbeing College

Taking on this challenge is massively out of my comfort zone but I’m always up for something out of the box when running is involved. I will be running, on average, 50 miles a day for 16 days, from the 5th of July (I will crawl to the end if I have too). Any support for such an amazing charity would be heavily appreciated!

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.