A warm welcome back if you've been with me for the last two years! If you are new to my story, here's how it's gone. For the previous two years, I've completed the London Marathon virtually. In the first year, I ran from home to London and back. I ran an eight-lap circuit in Walton on Thames in the second year. After that, I manifested and believed that next year, no matter what, I would be in the actual race. You can guess what happens next? My dream came true when MQ offered me a charity place for the same cause I have been fighting for the past two marathons - Mental Health.

On Sunday 2nd October 2022, I will be running in the race that I have stood and watched as a child along the Woolwich Ferry, then years later took my own children to watch; never in a million years did I ever think that one day I would be running that same race. This opportunity is all down to MQ, and I couldn't be more grateful to them.

As you may know, my passion is my day job; working within Mental Health services, MQ is totally aligned with this mission. MQ's vision is simple: to create a world where mental illness is understood, effectively treated, and ultimately prevented. With the help of their supporters and a global network of leading scientists, they can make this a reality.

Together they are championing and funding research into mental health that will change millions of lives. Currently, one in four people in the UK is living with a mental health condition. That's nearly 15 million people with an illness affecting their wellbeing, relationships with family and friends, and ability to work. The experience can be painful, exhausting and isolating.

Despite extraordinary advances in treating physical health conditions, progress in understanding mental illness, and research into its causes, treatments and prevention, is nowhere near equal. It falls woefully short, leaving millions of people worldwide without the help and support they need. We're here to change that by funding cutting-edge research. Better is possible.

As we ask you to support us and dig deep, we know we need to dig deep too. Therefore, this is driving me back to taking on the London Marathon, the mammoth 26.2 miles, for the third year in a row! If I am completely honest, I am apprehensive about the run ahead as I know the pain I am about to put myself through with my 16-week training plan and the big race itself! However, I am passionate about supporting this necessary work that I know will be life-changing.

Please give whatever you can to help me reach my target and support our mission; you really will make a difference!