This is a real pinch me moment announcing this and I’ve been super emotional about it since finding out yesterday (although since sleeping on it I am feeling slightly terrified 🤣) - I’m honoured to say I’m going to be running the London Marathon for Mind in 2024!

Are you an experienced runner I hear you ask. The short answer is NO 🤣 My running experience goes as far as completing Couch to 5k last year and calling it a day, so this is going to be a massive challenge for me but one I am absolutely honoured to be participating in!

Over the course of the next few months in the lead up to the Marathon, I’ll be raising money for this wonderful charity and sharing a bit more about why Mind is so important to me and my family.

Having previously completed fundraising for Mind by walking 100 miles in May 2021, I am thrilled to be able to do this again as Mind has always been and will remain a charity that will be close to my heart. For those who followed our previous fundraiser, you will likely know the reasons behind this, but for those who don’t, I will add a brief background below.

My beautiful mum has suffered with mental health illness for around 7-8 years following a domestically abusive relationship, and in 2015 was sectioned under the mental health act as a result of bipolar. This was an extremely worrying and challenging period in our lives. Admittedly, none of us had ever gone through anything like this before, and it was a learning curve for us all.

Mum was sectioned for 3 months, and although this was the last thing she ever wanted to do, it literally saved her life and I can say with great relief that she is still with us today ❤️

Despite everything that my mum has been through, she is one of the strongest and most selfless people I have ever met. It truly shows that you can never judge a book by its cover, and often you will never know what a person is going through.

Admittedly I have faced my own mental health battles over the years that I have only been brave enough to start discussing very recently, and this has given me that extra push to do something to give back and spread further awareness of mental health. Running a marathon has been on my bucket list for so long and being lucky enough to be offered a place in the London Marathon could not have come at a better time. It makes it even more special that Mind have offered me a place to run as part of their team.

Any donations to this wonderful charity are greatly appreciated, and will definitely give me that extra push to keep going when all the running seems impossible!

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.