As you all well know, last year and 2015 I ran a couple of 10k's to raise money for the wonderful charity, SANE, in order to raise awareness and overcome the everyday battles surrounding mental health issues. 

I am continuing this next year with a planned walk from Trafalgar Square to Brighton, non-stop, to keep up the fight and raise awareness for a close cause! After the loss of a family member who suffered, leaving a young son without a father, the work I am doing is truly minimal in comparison. 

Having a history of mental health issues from my early teens to the present day, I can tell you from first hand experience that the lack of awareness that people/GP's/Nurses have of mental health illnesses is genuinely shocking. A vast lack of resources in conjunction with this makes for a truly difficult time living with these illnesses as there is little to no help readily available unless it is highly sort after. Furthermore, once help is offered, the lack of resources and human power makes for a long waiting list of those that need genuine help. 

This is where SANE comes in, the charity I am raising for. SANE offers emotional support for sufferers, deployed by over 130 volunteers who undergo rigorous training and give hundreds of hours of their free time a year to an amazing cause. They seek to improve the quality of life of sufferers, raise awareness, combat stigma, educate, provide care and emotional support for sufferers and families/carers alike, and most importantly perhaps, initiating research into the causes and treatments of severe mental health illnesses such as schizophrenia and manic depression. 

I am planning on working with the gym I attend in fundraising events there also, so watch this space for that. You can keep up to date with what I am doing, and my plans and thoughts around all matters fundraising on my blog: 

www.thinkingredux.wordpress.com

For all the fabulous work that SANE do and more, see the link below! 

http://www.sane.org.uk/what_we_do/about_sane/

Remember, you aren't your mental health issues, and if you ever need help, call the following;

111, 999, 116123 (Samaritans), Visit the SANE, Mind, NHS websites. 

Thank you for reading, much love x