I'm a 50-year old man living in Edinburgh, Scotland supporting two charities at opposite ends of the planet to help people suffering from mental health challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of people around the world to experience loneliness, isolation and distress and while we all may be affected by these issues occasionally in the short term, as the pandemic continues, these effects can become long term. 

Long-term loneliness is associated with an increased risk of certain mental health problems, including depression, anxiety and increased stress. The impact of long-term loneliness on mental health can be very hard to manage. 

Throughout my life, some people that are very important to me have been affected by mental health issues in different ways, and along with the millions of others I'll never see or know personally, I'm committing to making as much of an impact as possible by raising money for organisations that directly support people with any kind of mental health needs.

SANE Australia is a national mental health charity making a real difference in the lives of people affected by complex mental health issues through support, research and advocacy.

• The SANE Help Centre provides counselling, support, information and referrals to adults who identify as having a complex mental illness, complex trauma or high levels of psychological distress and offers support to the family or friends that care about them.
• The SANE forums offer a safe, anonymous community providing peer support for people living with complex mental health issues, family, friends and carers.
• SANE's factsheets and guides provide easy-to-read information on complex mental health issues for everyone.

Why should you sponsor me?

Here are four reasons to think about:

• I'm not a runner - I hate running! Completing this goal will be very difficult (as it should be), so if you want to support me personally, then any donation will be a reward for all the circuits of the park I complete in the snow on cold Scottish winter nights!
• The charities will use your donation to help people with specific needs now, and to prevent harm in future. You might be one of those needing their support one day.
• I live with type 1 diabetes, a physical condition which can also lead to psychological difficulties. I know what it means to live with a complex lifelong condition and the challenges and barriers to achieving your maximum potential every day. SANE helps people to help themselves and offers counselling, peer support and advocacy, in addition to research that drives policy change and campaigning work to educate decision-makers about the needs of people affected by complex mental health issues.
  
• Ask yourself what you have done to help those in need? Is there room for more? Any amount you can donate, even the price of a cup of coffee to you can be turned into a resource that can transform lives.

What can my donation achieve?

• $50 helps support a 20 minute call with a Help Centre counsellor
• $250 helps support the production of high-quality clinical resources on sane.org
• $500 helps meet the costs of a Help Centre Counsellor's shift

Thanks for taking the time to visit my SANE (Australia) JustGiving page. I'm also running a Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) JustGiving page where you can support that national charity directly. Click on the Team link below to find it.