In 2012 I volunteered at the Edinburgh Marathon and was surprised that throughout the day I saw only one person representing a mental health charity. After this I went home and had a crazy thought that I could run a half marathon to raise money for a mental health charity, here's why...

SAMH is a charity which aims to raise awareness of mental health issues and ways to improve well-being. They are tackling the stigma that is attached to mental health and fight for the rights of those affected. SAMH have walk in centres which provide support and advice not only for those suffering from mental health issues, but for the family and friends of affected

Richard D'Arcy 1963- 2005

Dad was a real cheeky chap, always had people laughing and didn't mind laughing at himself. As I am an only child, Dad would act like a big brother to me. He'd always be trying to teach me how to be "streetwise", and spent his time playing pranks on me and teaching me the newest football tricks. On my 11th birthday Dad gave me £100, I was in shock because I had never seen that amount of money before. However, before I could think of what I was going to spend my cash on, Dad took me down to the sick kids hospital and got me to donate the money to them. Throughout his life he was always looking out for others, whether it be the neighbours, his family or customers from the shop - he was such a selfless person. 

In 2005 I lost my Dad to suicide.

It was a massive shock when Dads mental health rapidly deteriorated as it seemed to come from nowhere. After a tough couple of months apart from me and my mum, dad decided to stop drinking and smoking. It was during this period that his mental health worsened and his behaviour became strange. He wasn't his usual self and seemed to be isolated from everyone as he was living away from the family. We found out that the week before his death, dad had had the intention of seeking out help. Knowing the kind of guy my dad was, I know that he would have been too proud to have admitted he needed help and would have been afraid of appearing weak by doing so. 

Although it at first appeared that Dad had only suffered from mental healthissues for a couple of months, when we look back it is apparent that he had been dealing with his suffering for most of his life.If there had been more awareness of the signs of depression, maybe we could have recognised his suffering before it was too late, or maybe he would have felt like he had somewhere to go for help.

On the 26th May this year, me and Emma will attempt to run the Edinburgh half marathon. Our target is £250 each and since my Dad was a mad Hibs fan, if we make over that we will run with Hibs accessories...Emma is a hearts fan so nothing would make me happier! Please donate anything you can xx

Here is Emma's just giving page... http://www.justgiving.com/Emma-Brian