Hi everybody,

I am running my first half marathon on September 15th to raise money for Young Minds in memory of my friend Mark Lotsu.

Mark was my teacher and one of the most inspirational people in my life. He supported me through school immensely and he was kind, selfless, hilarious and so passionate about teaching. He was my friend and someone that would always listen to me, and at a school full of emotional teenagers he was always there to help and provide us all with endless entertainment. 

 Mark was also incredibly brave and recently spoke openly about mental health on live radio and was one of the first men I looked up to growing up who embraced emotion and always looked out for young people who were showing signs of struggle.

In his memory I think we should continue to do what he loved doing which was to help young people and support a mental health charity like Young Minds that provides support for vulnerable children, promotes good mental health and champions the voices of young people and teachers to influence mental healthy policy and practice. 

I believe passionately in this cause, and I think Mark would have too. To see all the amazing projects they do visit https://youngminds.org.uk/

For those that know me well I am not a runner in the slightest, and until this summer's training, I have never run for more than about 20 minutes so this is going to be a challenge for me. However, I hope that my training and race pays off and we can raise some money for this amazing cause. 

Therefore please give whatever you can, it is much appreciated. 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.