My Story

Hello. My name is Adam, and I am *Very Bad* at running.

Despite that, I’m going to attempt my 5th Great North Run this year which, if you’re not familiar, is the annual half-marathon that runs from the sun-drenched Cultural Utopia of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, all the way to the very sea itself. 13.1 miles of people enthusiastically shouting “howay son!” at you.

Some small issues; I have what’s generously regarded as “imperfect alignment” in my knees, childhood asthma that I treat with a consistent regime of denial, and last year I had to have about 9 months' worth of tests on my heart. None of which were aaaany fun.

But while the body has been on a steady and predictable decline since my early 20s, I’m also one of these Mental Health people you hear about these days. My peaks have thankfully been a lot more common than my troughs, but at various points in my life I’ve been reliant on outside support and can tell you, personally, how important Mind are.

Whether it’s information, advice, awareness, or crisis resources, the reality of mental health support in this country is that charities are left to do a huge amount of the heavy lifting. Since the pandemic, the demand for these services has increased by nearly 200% in the UK. However - and I hope you’re sitting down for this - funding for them both within the NHS and without has been slashed by over 1/3rd. 

So yes, to circle back to my opening here, I will be making a potentially pathetic attempt to complete another Great North Run. But, if it helps raise some funds, or even just some awareness, then it’s the least I can do.

Thanks for reading, now please give me a tenner.