On May 19th I'll be lacing up my trainers and taking on the challenge of running the Hackney Half Marathon to support the work of Mind in the City, Hackney and Waltham Forest (Mind CHWF) Each year, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem, and this figure is only set to rise.

For those of you that know me you will know that I haven't run since before my youngest child was born 5 years ago and even then it was a casual 5km. Therefore running this half marathon is set to challenge me both mentally and physically.

February of last year I lost my brother suddenly on his birthday at the age of 46. He had struggled with his mental health from the age of 18 due to the effects of taking an illusive drug at university due to peer pressure.

From that day his life would never be the same. He was sectioned 7 times in his life time due to the chemical imbalance in his brain, and being the family support through those relapses was an incredibly difficult time.

I have seen first hand how people are treated in the system, the lack of support that was available and how vital the work of charities such as mind are to support individuals and their families.

My brother lectured at the University of Hertfordshire in regards to mental health and worked closely with the charity Mind.

Before my brother passed he told me to get back to running he worried about my asthma and wanted me to get out and live a healthier lifestyle so here I am running my first half marathon.

My brother adored Hackney so if I was ever going to run a half marathon in his memory it was going to be this one. He was born there, grew up there and had his final journey there.

This will no doubt be an emotional journey for me but I run for him and I run for anyone else that suffers with their mental health including my own.

Please donate- as right now there is someone in need of support and reaching out to a charity such as mind