Since 2018, I have been a keen advocate of raising awareness about mental health. In 2018, I ran the Sheffield Half Marathon raising money for the national MIND charity. This was having seen a number of close friends experience difficulties with anxiety and depression. It was also driven by seeing high profile stories such as with Chester Bennington from the band Linkin Park who sadly passed away in 2017. This news really hit me having seen the band for the first time only a few weeks before his passing.

Since this point and especially with the impact of the COVID pandemic, i have learnt more about my own mental health and how mental health impacts all of us in different ways and in different forms. I became a qualified Mental Health First Aider via MHFA England and undertook my own research via different charities. I also led within my workplace on providing Mental Health resources and activities which can be accessed by colleagues.

You may or may not know, but I have been a keen runner for many years and one challenge I have yet to complete is a marathon (my dad loves to keep telling me about his marathon times from back in the day) Thanks Dad...

While I'll not beat his time, the Manchester Marathon on Sunday 19th April will be my first. I have set myself an ambitious goal of completing the marathon in a time around 3 hours 30!! My 22 week marathon training block began in October and is in full swing!! With early morning Sunday runs and runs before work becoming a regular occurrence.

While it's great to have personal goals, raising money for a cause I am passionate about and helping people locally is important to me. Sheffield MIND (https://www.sheffieldmind.co.uk/)based on Sharrow Lane near the City Centre do just that. They deliver vital services to the people of Sheffield and wider afield. Providing services such as counselling, well-being groups and community projects tackling isolation. It's a fantastic charity, which while affiliated to the national MIND charity does not receive direct funding. It's essential these local services are maintained, particularly with the difficulty accessing these services via the NHS.

By supporting me on this marathon challenge, you will help Sheffield MIND continue these services to those in need. Together we can help reduce the stigma around mental health and create a society where mental health is openly talked about and support is always available.

Thank you,

Jordan

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