As many of you are aware in November 2020 my cousin Hugo Yaxley was very sadly taken from us in a tragic car accident. Hugo was a great advocate for mental health and aimed to remove the stigma within this field of our lives. He was such an open and caring person who was there for everyone around him, constantly helping others.

With this in mind, in July I am planning on running from London to Bristol (Hugo’s home) in 5days. I will be running for Place2Be, a mental health charity which Hugo himself was a great supporter of. I will be running in honour of both Hugo and my Aunty Helen. Aunty Amanda quite rightly pointed out, Hugo will be running alongside me with his long lanky legs the whole way. The distance is 117miles and this equates to 4 and a half marathons. It is one crazy challenge, but I have such a great motivation behind it.

A little bit on Place2B – it is a charity at the forefront of shifting our perception and the archaic taboos around child counselling. Children’s mental health is an oversight all too often. Even 5-7 years ago, going to see a counsellor at school was seen as a punishment or an embarrassment. Having Place2Be drop-in sessions for every student at the schools they work with, makes the counsellor feel accessible and normalises the stigma around mental health. 

All and any funding you can give for this fantastic cause would go a long, long way and I would be extremely grateful. Thank you so much!

Love, Helly x