So, I have accepted my place on the London marathon and I will be running it for Mind charity; any donations at all would be
massively appreciated. Those who donate £20.00 may select a song to go in my
marathon playlist! Either add it as a comment on your donation or feel free to
send me a message.

Interestingly I share the same birthday as Sir Mo Farah. Unfortunately,
that is about the extent of our similarities; so if you haven’t seen me in a few
years, the idea of me running a marathon remains comically ridiculous.

Now why Mind…

The first lockdown had an enormous impact on the
population’s mental health, especially on young people. I don’t think anyone
could honestly say they managed to navigate three lockdowns without any dark
days; and even if you don’t feel like you did struggle, I can guarantee that
you know plenty of people who did and still are.

I wanted to share a few statistics that have stuck with me:

Adults reporting a clinically significant level of
psychological distress rose from 20.8% in 2019 to 24.5% in March 2021, with a
peak of 29.5% in April 2020.

8% of adults reported self-harm behaviours between March
2020 and May 2021.

(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-mental-health-and-wellbeing-surveillance-report/2-important-findings-so-far)

These statistics only reflect what has been reported and
are by no means the full picture.

The NHS was already stretched too far before the pandemic began.
They haven’t been able to offer meaningful mental health care for those who
need it and are now faced with increasing demand and decreasing resources. Wait
times for state-provided therapy are easily exceeding a year; people are not
getting the help they need, when they need it.

Charities like Mind are now more crucial than ever, helping
more and more people every year.  Such as helping
over 300,000 people through their online peer support communities, offering 1:1
bereavement support for those affected by suicide, and lobbying the government
for much needed reform of the Mental Health Act.

It's a privilege to run for Mind and thank you for your support.