Hi everyone,

As most people will know I care a lot about perinatal, maternal/ parental mental illness and the impacts it can have on families.

You will also know I despise running. I think it’s awful, horrific, torturous and when I run I often think I’ll never recover from it.

So I’ve decided to really challenge myself by running at least 50k in May. Not a lot to some but a lot for these short legs, stubborn attitude and hatred towards running.

I’m doing this challenge to raise money for a charity that provides support to families when they are experiencing the unexpected, often traumatising and potentially devastating illness that is postpartum psychosis.

I’ve had the honour of working with families who have experienced this and seen the true benefit of APP and what they offer for the whole family.

They were also significant in the campaign for a mother and baby unit in Northern Ireland which we are waiting for.

While postpartum psychosis is very treatable, if it is undetected it can be devastating, resulting in maternal suicide or harm to baby. APP provide vital training for health care professionals which could save lives and reduce trauma by allowing earlier identification of symptoms of psychosis.

Often the psychological recovery and memories of being unwell can be the hardest, and the peer support provided by APP can be so reassuring & helpful for mums and dads.

Grateful for any donations- trust me they will make a difference to families!

Read below what APP say about themselves…

Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP) is a UK charity. We’re here to make sure mums, parents and families are supported through postpartum psychosis – a severe, but treatable, form of mental illness that occurs after having a baby and affects 1400 new mums in the UK each year.

We offer information and peer support, facilitate ground breaking research, raise awareness and campaign for improved services.

Our life changing peer support network helps women and families affected by postpartum psychosis feel understood, supported and less isolated.