Hayley Court
Hayley's Pennine Way Thru-Hike
Fundraising for Mind
Story
From June 28 to July 13 this year, I'll be hiking the Pennine Way National Trail - 268 miles from Edale in Derbyshire to Kirk Yetholm in Scotland, camping along the way. I hope, through sponsorship, to raise £2,000 for Mind. Here's why...
In 2014 my life was consumed by sleeping too much or not sleeping at all, panic attacks to the point of sickness and a catalogue of horrific nightmares. I was in the grips of severe reactive depression; something that lasted two agonising years and took a sledgehammer to my confidence.
Before that I had a very naive view of depression. Mental illness in general I felt I understood, but depression was, so I thought, just the sickness du jour. No one could just be sad, they had to be "like, sooo depressed," - Yawn!
Things did get better; largely thanks to a wonderful network of family, friends, doctors and organisations like Mind, who offer a helping hand finding your way back to yourself.
Now in 2019, I want to challenge myself to do things that were inconceivable to me five years ago, while raising funds for, and highlighting the work of this extraordinary charity.
Mind provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem; whatever that problem may be. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding, and advocate for those too enveloped by illness to speak up for themselves. They save lives, and help survivors regain control of theirs.
It'll take me about two weeks to complete the hike, which I'll be doing solo for the most part. It'll be the longest continuous hike I have done since the Nijmegan 100-mile march across Holland in 2002, which seems like eons ago.
£2,000 is a lot of money, but if you could donate just 50p or £1, you will be helping me on the path to achieve that goal, and help thousands of people in the UK trying to find their way back to themselves; maybe even someone you know.
Thank you x
The legal bit - 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.
In 2014 my life was consumed by sleeping too much or not sleeping at all, panic attacks to the point of sickness and a catalogue of horrific nightmares. I was in the grips of severe reactive depression; something that lasted two agonising years and took a sledgehammer to my confidence.
Before that I had a very naive view of depression. Mental illness in general I felt I understood, but depression was, so I thought, just the sickness du jour. No one could just be sad, they had to be "like, sooo depressed," - Yawn!
Things did get better; largely thanks to a wonderful network of family, friends, doctors and organisations like Mind, who offer a helping hand finding your way back to yourself.
Now in 2019, I want to challenge myself to do things that were inconceivable to me five years ago, while raising funds for, and highlighting the work of this extraordinary charity.
Mind provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem; whatever that problem may be. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding, and advocate for those too enveloped by illness to speak up for themselves. They save lives, and help survivors regain control of theirs.
It'll take me about two weeks to complete the hike, which I'll be doing solo for the most part. It'll be the longest continuous hike I have done since the Nijmegan 100-mile march across Holland in 2002, which seems like eons ago.
£2,000 is a lot of money, but if you could donate just 50p or £1, you will be helping me on the path to achieve that goal, and help thousands of people in the UK trying to find their way back to themselves; maybe even someone you know.
Thank you x
The legal bit - 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.