I'm going to take part in the Edinburgh Half Marathon in May in support of the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). In 2021 my mate Declan sadly took his own life after a lifelong battle with mental health problems, something which affected me and my friends very deeply. I've since become much more aware of mental health issues, and particularly the issues that young men often have in expressing themselves and letting others know when they're feeling down. While we've come a long way in this regard, as people are definitely more comfortable speaking out than they have been in the past, it clearly isn't far enough as 125 people are still lost to suicide every week across the UK. There's so much more that needs to be done, not just in providing vital resources to those who need it, but also in changing societal attitudes around mental health so that those suffering aren't stigmatised as performative or less worthy. 

In memory of Declan, I'd like to do everything I can to help the countless people who find themselves battling against their own minds on a daily basis.