Judith Pratt

Uphill Struggle

Fundraising for MQ Mental Health Research
£1,200
raised of £1,000 target
Donations cannot currently be made to this page
Event: Uphill Struggle, from 10 October 2020 to 10 November 2020
Living with a mental health condition and getting effective treatment can often be seen as an uphill struggle. So, we want to encourage people to take on a physical challenge and replicate that uphill struggle between 10th Oct and 10th Nov.

Story

With the launch of MQ’s uphill Struggle Challenge coinciding
with World Mental Health Day earlier this month, this seemed a timely
opportunity for me to take on this challenge from both a professional and personal perspective.

During my career as a neuroscientist,  I have witnessed and contributed to the enormous advances in the understanding of how the brain operates and how it changes in mental health conditions. In parallel I have seen the impact that mental ill-health can have on family and friends.

There remains a large gap between our understanding of
mental health disorders and developing improvements in care for mental health sufferers.   However, I am optimistic, that we are now poised to move from the descriptive and discovery phase to
research that will lead to early interventions and personalised treatments.
This can only be achieved with increased funding for mental health research which still lags way behind that of physical health conditions.

For me, exercise is an important part of my mental health and wellbeing. I enjoy yoga, Pilates and walking in the countryside with my dogs.  However, arthritis in my knee is curtailing my activities and I am about to have a total knee replacement.  During my recovery it will be both a physical and mental challenge to get back to activities that I once enjoyed pain free. I plan to provide weekly updates as I move from walking a few meters a day with a walking aid to walking a mile unaided within one month.

So I am taking on this challenge for several reasons:

  • To raise  critical funds for and awareness of the important research that MQ are doing.
  • To show that it is possible to overcome a personal ‘Uphill Struggle’ whether that be related to a physical and/or mental challenge that you are faced with.
  • To hopefully inspire people to get involved in their own Uphill Struggle challenge.


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About the campaign

Living with a mental health condition and getting effective treatment can often be seen as an uphill struggle. So, we want to encourage people to take on a physical challenge and replicate that uphill struggle between 10th Oct and 10th Nov.

About the charity

MQ Mental Health Research

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RCN 1139916
MQ Mental Health Research is a charity formed to support research into mental illness. By funding research, we will be able to understand mental illness, improve current treatments, identify new ones and transform the lives of those affected: over 15 million in the UK. Better is possible.

Donation summary

Total raised
£1,200.00
+ £265.00 Gift Aid
Online donations
£1,200.00
Offline donations
£0.00

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