Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I was trying to think of a charity that best suited me since I'm doing all these events month after month. Tough Mudder, Spartan, RunForAll events and just general running and giving others inspiration to do the same. What charity best suited me? Finally after a bit of thought it came to me that the best one for me was a mental health charity. What else???

I've struggled with my mental health on and off since my late teens and I still have dark moments where I wonder what the point is of everything, am I any good at what I do, should I carry on when it's so hard sometimes and would anyone really miss me if I wasn't here. Those of you who know me well will know this and have seen me when I'm low. It's not a pretty sight and it's very difficult to deal with or know what to do for the best..

Fortunately I now work in an industry that has a direct positive effect on my mood and mental health state and just recently I've rediscovered running. After recovering from an ongoing knee complaint and subsequent rehab and advice from my fantastic PT Instructor Tom Stringwell I'm back up and running quite literally. I've never ran so much in my life and it is a tonic for my mental health. I've discovered now that I can run and run and run and the feeling of freedom is simply wonderful. As a result I aim to enter the Sheffield Half Marathon next year, possibly the Leeds event too, and from this point on every run I do whether it's in my own time or for an organised event will be aimed at raising money to help others struggling with their demons, self doubts and own personal dark times. 

Running is really helping and from what I read on Twitter and Facebook it helps others too. I have people tell me that I've inspired them and as hard to believe as that is it makes me smile whenever I think about it. It's World Mental Health day today, 10/10/17, and the stories I read in the running community are a testament to what a wonderful cure this form of exercise really can be. It frees your mind and gives such a great positive feeling while you run and mostly when you're finished. You can run alone or run with friends. When I'm not out alone I run with a group on 5k Tuesdays and 10k Fridays from my gym and we always have a great time out together, helping each other if we're struggling, keeping each other going to the end and chatting and laughing between each other as we go.

I'll be posting this page every time I take part in a event or do a run and I understand that not everyone can donate but any small donation is welcomed. 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.