On 3rd September 2023 Natalie & Rachel will be taking on the South Coast trek challenge and will be walking 26 Miles to help raise money for Mind UK.

Mind are a well known charity supporting those struggling with Mental Health. Approximately 1 in 4 people worldwide will experience a mental health condition at some point in their lives, with depression being one of the most prevalent mental health disorders globally. It affects over 264 million people worldwide.

The work that Mind does is so important and something we are proud to be supporting and raising awareness of. Please support us if you are able to 💙🧠

Natalie's Personal Story 💖

A little over two years ago I was the bubbliest, loudest people person you would ever meet. Until everything I knew in my world changed- I navigated leaving my marriage, walking away from my house, husband, financial security family and my own business- add a pandemic to this and I ended up having a severe mental breakdown. 

I became anxious, lonely, scared & severe depression. I stopped eating and sleeping and became a shell of the person I was before. I was one of those people who thought 'it would never happen to me' so I had no idea where to turn for support and was too scared to talk to anyone I knew- I believed suicide was the only way out for me. 

Throughout my mental breakdown, I contemplated jumping off a bridge one day (but luckily called my friend to come and get me), took an overdose and was blue lighted to hospital.

I was referred to the mental health crisis team initially. But I wasn't ready to recover, and that is when overdose number 2 happened. 

The period of time for me after that, is very hazy. Consisted of various drugs, severe weight loss and a lot of sleeping. I couldn't work, I barely left the house. I wasn't left alone for more than a second and I was at the point where I couldn't be trusted to lock the bathroom door when I was in there. I will never forget the heartache I caused the people closest to me, the worry and pain for the people around me was the reason I stuck to the recovery plan the doctors put in place for me.

Within 6 months, I was in a place to be able to rebuild my life, get a job and start to love life again. I found an employer in Lucid that took me on in the very early stages of my recovery (I had asked to volunteer as part of journey, to get used to people again) and supported me through every stage of this process and still continue to do so. 

I am so proud to have gone from filing paperwork to heading up an entire resource department in under 2 years (I am also back to the loudest in the office!) 

Without the support of the NHS and specifically MIND, I don't know that I would have overcome the journey I had ahead of me. The work that they do, the support that they offer and the services they provide are so so so important to those struggling with mental health. They really do save lives and guide people away from the worst case scenario.

Please help me support this wonderful charity that played a massive part in saving my life. No matter if it's £1- every little helps 💙

Thank you for reading xx