** Update: the marathon has now been cancelled for the third time but I won't let that stop me after all the kind donations we have received. I will now be running the marathon virtually on the 30th May (when the official one would have taken place).

In 2017, after the birth of our wonderful son, my wife suffered from an illness called Postpartum Psychosis (PP), hospitalising her for three months in a mother and baby unit.  She was absolutely amazing and inspiring in the way she handled her recovery while continuing to be a fantastic mum. She suffered severe anxiety and depression for the following 12 months. She is also now doing volunteer work for the charity, Action on Postpartum Psychosis, helping other mums in their recovery as well as visiting Mother & Baby Units.

It is now definitely my turn to do my bit for a charity that is now very close to our hearts.  Just under a year ago I could hardly run around the block but decided I would set myself the challenge of getting fit with the secret objective of taking on a big challenge that might encourage people to donate a few pounds.  I set myself the challenge of completing at least one race a month for 12 months to help keep me motivated.  I have now completed 8 10k’s, a 10 mile race, a half marathon and a family Santa run with a further 10k and a half marathon to go before I attempt to run the big event - the Edinburgh marathon on the 6th of September (rearranged to Oliver's birthday, not sure how happy he will be about that!).

If you think me running a marathon might be worth a few pounds, even if it is just to laugh at the various pained expressions on my face or you simply think this might be a charity you would like to support, our family would be unbelievably grateful for anything you can spare.  Anything donated will really help other families who experience PP with the invaluable services the charity provide. 

It runs an award winning peer support service connecting women and families throughout the UK to recovered volunteers, develops patient information for women and their families who have experienced PP, offers training to frontline health professionals and facilitates research into the causes of PP.  Over 1400 women in the UK experience PP each year (1 to 2 in every 1000 mothers).

A big thank you for your support,

Steve, Gem and Oliver 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.