Come September Tom and I will be running the Great North Run side by side, or rather, miles behind, family members, and Blake will be running in the GNR children's event. I am running in memory of my mother, Lorraine Sheppard, and will be raising money for the mental health charity Mind.

I cannot attempt to express what this means to me, though I would ask you to please sponsor our concerted efforts and support this vital charity. 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year, meanwhile NHS provision of care, which was already stretched, has been cut. In the days of ATOS interviews, zero hour contracts, job insecurity and austerity politics, charities such as Mind are needed to ensure the vulnerable have support and a voice.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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.