We’re Em and Tobes and we’re taking on Paris Marathon (Em) and the Three Peaks Challenge (Toby) for our Mum and for Mental Health and Menopause awareness.

We want to raise as much money as we can so that families like ours don’t have to go through what we have, so that mothers, daughters, wives, sisters and friends get the correct treatment at the correct time. The healthcare system in the UK views mental and physical health as two completely separate things, but for women, hormonal changes deemed a physical health occurrence, such as after giving birth or when going through menopause, are intrinsically linked to shifts in mental health. For women who have experienced postnatal depression, perimenopause can be an extremely dangerous time, with suicidal ideation increasing 7 fold. The research is there, the risks are clear and undeniable, and yet it took our whole family fighting for months, for our Mum to finally receive combined treatment for hormonal and mental health.

This story, as we found out, is far too common. Depression during perimenopause and menopause is life threatening, when not picked up quickly, where treated incorrectly, where misdiagnosed, women die. Families stand as the last line of defence against suicide. We won’t have it. Our Mum is the strongest person we know and she should never have had to fight so hard for so long. So we’re raising money for both the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), as no one should ever have to fight alone, and The Menopause Charity, as it’s 2026 and women deserve healthcare designed for women. We want to raise as much money as possible for these amazing charities, but also raise as much awareness as possible so please share our story, check in on your family and friends and please be mindful of your language when discussing mental health. Just like physical health problems, severe mental health problems can be life threatening.

Both our Mum and our Dad inspire us every day with their incredible strength and courage. So despite us calling this Miles for Mum, this challenge is also to honour our Dad who is truly the most emotionally intelligent man you will ever meet, and whose love, belief and strength kept us all going through the worst. What a man.

Let’s save some lives !!!