I am running the 2025 TCS London Marathon in support of King’s College London and in particular the work it does for children and young people’s mental health in partnership with South London and the Maudsley NHS Trust and the Maudsley Charity.

I had to pull out of the 2024 marathon due to an injury but I’m back running now and looking forward (!) to running the 26.2miles on 27th April.

Your donation will support patients and their families, now and into the future.

Background Info

This year, the incredible new Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People will open in south London. It is set to be the world’s leading centre for child and adolescent mental health and will encompass inpatient and outpatient care, a school as well as the space for leading clinicians, scientists and educators to work side-by side. It will allow for collaboration and is built to adapt to the changing needs of children and young people in our care, across the UK and around the world.

It's going to be a real game changer in our understanding and treatment of adolescent mental health. Around 1 in 5 children and young people in the UK have a clinically diagnosable mental health disorder. But only 1 in 3 of these young people will receive the treatment they need.

King’s world-leading research will take a whole lifespan approach to mental health, addressing key stages in a child’s development, from conception to early adulthood, where research, prevention and intervention will make the most difference. The Centre will:

• Treat and assess thousands of children a year, with an even greater impact through digital services

• Help greater numbers of young people with OCD, eliminating the need for inpatient support for severe OCD

• Support young people with autism to live happier and healthier lives through greater understanding, interventions and prevention

Untreated, mental health problems in children can alter the course of their entire lives. Symptoms often persist into adult life with long-term effects including reduced education and employment opportunities, relationship problems and poorer overall health.

About me

This will be my first marathon. I ramped up my training just before Christmas and now feel that I’ll be at least able to get around the course! My day job is Director of Philanthropy & Campaign for King’s College London and I’m proud to have been leading the fundraising for the Centre for the last five years. To date, over £30m has been raised for the capital element. Now, our focus moves towards the research and outreach work.

Your support would mean a huge amount to me and, ultimately, the children and young people around the world who will benefit from this new Centre.

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/pears-maudsley-centre

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/kings-maudsley-partnership