Hi everyone,

Following on from last year's success I've decided to run for Rethink again this year and help raise vital funds to support their work, so this year I'll be running the Great North Run on 19th September in aid of Rethink.  For those of you who don't know, the Great North Run is the world's largest half marathon in Newcastle.  But not content with just one race a year, I've also entered myself into the following races:

 

The Goodwood Duathlon - 9th May

10k run - 40k bike - 5k run

 

Blenheim Triathlon - 5th June

750m swim - 20k bike - 5k run

 

The Rat Race - 25th September

A 2.5 hour run of checkpoint hunting across the city of London

 

(and there may be more to come yet!)

 

Many of you were extremely generous in supporting me last year and in 2008, helping me reach my fundraising targets for the Great South Run and the London Marathon.  Thanks to you all I raised a fantastic £3,000 for Rethink and completed runs I thought I could only do after years of training.  Now I'd like to raise another £2,000, bringing my total to £5,000.

 

For those of you who don't know, Rethink is one of the leading mental health charities in the country, supporting over 48,000 people every year.  Their vision is a world in which people affected by mental illness are treated with respect and accepted as equal citizens and a world where they have access to effective, timely care. Rethink are also part of the national Time to Change campaign which hopes to end the stigma and discrimination that continues to surround mental illness.  Having made a good recovery myself from depression which blighted my life for 10 years, I feel confident to talk about my experience of mental illness but many people still live in fear of discrimination.  Please help support me in my efforts and help support Rethink so that they can help people like me to recover a better quality of life.

 

Thank you for making a difference.

 

Vikkie

 

P.S. 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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.