(TLDR: St Luke's helped me. Help me help St Luke's!)

As many of my friends and family know I completed my teacher training in July last year and gained my full qualified teacher status.

This achievement was met at the detriment to my mental health and wellbeing. I was overwhelmed, stressed and losing myself.

I had to make the tough decision to close the door on full time teaching. I had to take time to recover and reconnect with myself. It felt as if I was only Miss Thorpe, the teacher and had lost me, Zinnia.

In July, I started volunteering at St Luke's. This gave me a purpose at a time when I felt very lost. It offered me a safe place to remind myself of my skills and help rebuild my confidence.

St Luke's supported me in finding Zinnia again. Becoming my strong, confident, determined, interested and resilient self once again!

I could not be more grateful for the kindness and compassion from the whole team. Showing that the charity not only works to support clergy but also community with their mental wellbeing.

This September I will be swimming a mile for St Luke's, in the serpentine lake... full of geese and who knows what!! A mile is over 64 lengths of a 25m pool.... in a wetsuit... in the cold lake water...with the geese!!!!

Please please sponsor me. Everyone has mental health, and we need to support each other always.

Thank you St Luke's <3

About St Luke's

St Luke's provide practical, supportive services to meet the evolving needs of clergy and improve their well-being. Sometimes well-being and mental health can be overlooked because of the everyday demands of ministry and all the joys and challenges of living in faith and supporting communities.

"I think teachers and clergypeople face a similar situation; their role is naturally for others, putting others needs first and pushing yours aside so you can best support those who rely on you. I am glad St Luke's is there to support the mental well-being of clergypeople." - Zinnia

About the swim

Swim Serpentine is London’s hugely popular festival of open water swimming where swimmers can take on a variety of distances in Hyde Park’s famous Serpentine lake, ranging from half a mile to six miles.

This is the perfect event for an enjoyable and memorable open water swim while fundraising for charity.