Oli Leigh took his own life in 2018 aged 16. Oli was a bright, cheerful and much loved young man who found it very hard to communicate his feelings. He was always the first to offer a shoulder to lean on but never sought out anyone whom he could lean on or confide in. His despair with the world around him and his place in it was unknown to even his nearest and dearest and he could not find happiness or see any future direction.

I have chosen to run The London Marathon to raise much needed funds to support teenage suicide prevention initiatives in the UK. I am not really a runner so this is a massive challenge for me personally but one which I will tackle head on. This challenge has been made all the harder by the double postponement of the event due to covid-19 and the consequential disruption to my motivation and training.

I will be raising funds for 2 charities. The Oli Leigh Trust has been set up my Michelle, Oli's mother, myself, Michelle's partner, and Scott, Oli's brother, to provide funds to support organisations working to reduce teenage suicide rates in the UK. Please take a look at our website www.theolileightrust.org for further information about the work of the Trust.

Funds raised will also be used to support Norwood, who have allocated me a place to run in this year's London Marathon. Norwood have been supportive of Oli and his family during difficult times. Norwood were working with Oli at his school in the months prior to his death and Oli's grandmother was also a Norwood orphan in her childhood. Please take at look at Norwood's website www.norwood.org.uk to see more about their work.

Anything you can donate will not only provide me with enormous motivation to complete this challenge but more importantly will go directly towards supporting teenage mental health and reducing teenage suicide rates.

Thank you

Steven