On July 14th, I will be joining an inspiring team of 30 friends from the South West to take on the National 3 peaks challenge, which involves climbing the highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales, to raise money for Mind In Somerset. Over the course of 24 hours, we will trek around 26 miles and ascend to a total height of almost 3,000m - Ben Nevis (1,344m), Scafell Pike (978m) and Snowdon (1,085m). Having previously climbed Snowdon I know this is going to be a serious and tough challenge which requires a good level of fitness, as well as plenty of grit and determination, and our focus will be to finish within 24 hours!

Many of us know of, live with or suffer themselves with mental health - I myself am not ashamed to admit ive spiralled to some very dark places over the past couple of years.

A little about my struggle with mental health - January marked 3 years since we welcomed our twin boys into the world, but tragically, one was stillborn. For a while I knew I was struggling but doing ok and felt I had to be strong for my family, a rock for my partner.. I thought this was the right thing to do at the time.
After about a year, dealing with our loss and COVID lockdowns, I really noticed I was struggling with what had happened and ended up in a very hard, dark place with what seemed to be no light at the end and no way out, eventually I explored many avenues until I managed to source some help through minds, sands and cruise.
I'm not yet 100% back to my normal self but I am doing better and feel like am finding my feet again - much of this is thanks to the help and support of these charitys.

 Mind in Somerset, provides services and support to anyone affected by mental health illness, to improve their quality of life and wellbeing. During a recent visit to my friend Jace he shared his intention to take on this challenge and support Mind in Somerset - I knew I wanted to join him and the team. It will be a great opportunity to give myself a serious challenge, raise awareness of mental heath issues and raise money for a great charity - I cant wait to put on the hiking boots and smash it!

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.

Thank you for viewing my page and taking the time to read this, your support and donations will be greatly appreciated!