Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Like so many families across the UK my own family has been affected by mental health. My eldest child has struggled since their early teens. Their mental health problems inevitably impacted on the rest of the family too, especially their two brothers. At the time I struggled to find the help we needed as a family. In the end we just muddled through, we did our best to cope with a situation that we were ill equipped to handle.

In the last few years I am pleased to say that as a nation we are now talking more about mental health, especially that of our young people in what is a rapidly changing world.

This awareness however, has not been matched by investment in services to support those with mental health problems or their families. This is why this year I hope to raise some money for Solent Mind who provide much needed services and support across Hampshire as well as being part of a wider network of MIND charities across the country. I am doing this in the hope that another family like ours will find the help they need at the time that they need it.

As I won't be running a marathon or climbing a mountain anytime soon, I will be auctioning my work on Instagram and selling refreshments at events to raise much needed funds for Solent MIND. It would be great if you could support this either by bidding on one of the items or sharing what I am doing to others who might be interested, THANK YOU

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.