James Place is a fantastic charity offering free, life saving treatment to suicidal men across the country, with centres in Liverpool, London and Newcastle.

Myself and 16 other friends will be running the Liverpool Half Marathon in hopes of raising money for such an amazing organisation.

James Place is a charity that holds a special place in our hearts. This is down to one name. Omar Sayeed Iqbal. On the 25th of May 2023, myself and many other friends were devastated to hear that Omar, had unfortunately taken his own life. Omar was someone who never failed to light a room up with his quick witted banter, his happiness and his undying love for Liverpool Football Club. With no known history of mental health struggles, he was living joyfully at university. Surrounded by a huge community of loving friends and enveloped in a family he adored.

To read more about Omar's story, please follow the link below-

https://www.theomareffect.com/

1 in 3 men experience suicidal thoughts. Thats friends, brothers, fathers, uncles and colleagues. This is why organisations like James Place are so important to us. Not only to raise awareness of men struggling with their mental health, but to let men know that there is never any shame in speaking up and seeking help for your mental health, whether that be with friends over a coffee, or seeking professional help from your GP.

Many of us aren't what you would call 'good runners', but you can best believe all 17 of us will work hard to complete this challenge!

Thank you for taking the time to read,

Faiq :)

Runners-

Faiq Aziz, Harry Bainton, Sasha Barker-Pilsworth, Finlay Dodd, Jacob Foley, James Harris, Marcus Juniper, Jey Kocu, Indio Patel, Jonathan Peters, Kavi Thandi, Miles Rochford, Cameron Sabouni, Josh Tseung, Miles Wilson, Gabriel Sharp, Sahil Sonanis