Hello people of my localised corner of the internet,

Having never run a marathon I have decided to jump straight into the deep end and run the London marathon!

I was worried when I applied in late October that there would only be a few months to train for the big day (in April!), nevertheless it’s more importantly an opportunity to fundraise for an important cause.

I will be running the marathon for United Response, a charity that supports people with learning disabilities and mental health needs to live independently. Mental health has had a massive impact on my life and the lives of loved ones. Issues surrounding mental health have played a significant role in my adolescence and I now know that the worst thing to do would be to close the door on the world and isolate from people. My wellbeing improved tremendously through connecting to people in 12-step groups, attending therapy, meditating daily and exercising - it was through running weekly with a group of friends that made me (foolishly?) believe I could run a marathon.

As someone who has discovered sobriety, which has been incredible for my mental health, I wanted to run for a foundation that would help people overcome their own mental health struggles because we can’t do this alone. Also, they’re based in London, which makes this a great opportunity to raise money for a local charity.

I will post as much as I can with relevant updates (which I apologise for in advance). I also understand that it’s a really hard time for many people financially so if you can’t give anything at the moment, please share the page because I’m going to work my booty off to raise my target of £1,500.

I hope United Response’s work resonates with you, you can find out more about the charity via my Justgiving page or here https://www.unitedresponse.org.uk/about/what-we-do/

Thank you for reading x