I’m running well hopefully a marathon… at 59… having not run for a couple of years. What could possibly go wrong? 🤦‍♀️😂

On 18 April 2027, I’ll be standing on the start line of a marathon.

Even writing that feels slightly terrifying!

But I’m doing it for a reason that means more to me than I could ever put into words.

I’m running in memory of my beautiful daughter, Beth, who died by suicide in April 2019, aged just 26. 💔

Four years earlier, in October 2015, I also lost my husband Ian to suicide.

Suicide has changed my life and my family forever. There is a life before suicide loss and a life afterwards, and somehow you learn to carry the people you love with you as you keep moving forward.

For me, part of that has been Speak Their Name.

I am incredibly proud to be a Trustee of Speak Their Name and a co-founder of the Yorkshire Speak Their Name Suicide Memorial Quilt.

The quilts are made up of individual squares created in memory of people who have died by suicide. Behind every square is a person. A name. A story. A family. A life that mattered.

Beth is one of those names.

So this marathon is for her. ❤️

It’s also for Ian, for every name stitched into our quilts, and for all the families who understand only too well the devastating impact of suicide.

Every penny I raise will support Speak Their Name and help us continue bringing people together through the quilts, remembrance, conversation and our shared determination to challenge the stigma surrounding suicide.

As for the running…

I genuinely haven’t run for a couple of years, so this isn’t going to be easy. I have seven months to somehow get myself from run/walking for 30 minutes to 26.2 miles. 😳

There will undoubtedly be tears, tantrums, aching legs and plenty of moments when I wonder what on earth possessed me to sign up.

But when it gets hard, I’ll think about why I’m doing it.

I’ll run for Beth.

I’ll carry her with me for every training mile and, eventually, every one of those 26.2 miles.

If you can sponsor me — however much — I would be incredibly grateful. And if you can’t donate, sharing my page would mean just as much.

Thank you for supporting me, for supporting Speak Their Name, and most importantly, for helping us continue to speak their names. 💜

Beth, this one’s for you. ❤️

Mum xxx