A Year of Mudding and Marathons for Mental Health

Hi all,

Over the next year, I will be completing 1 challenge every month to raise funds for an incredible mental health charity - MIND.

MIND plays a crucial role in fighting mental health challenges by providing essential resources, connecting people for open conversations, and offering support to those in need. In 2022-2023, Local MINDS supported 470,000 people, and responded to 130,000+ queries to their support and information helplines, a testament to the work they are doing to fight the mental health battle on the front foot.

Despite MINDS best efforts, we still have a long way to go.

The statistics regarding mental health are truly frightening, and present a powerful need to address the current mental health crisis:

- 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England.

- Depression affects around 22% of men and 28% of women aged 65 years and over, yet it is estimated that 85% of older people with depression receive no help at all from the NHS.

- 20.3% of eight to 16-year-olds had a probable mental disorder in 2023. Among 17 to 19-year-olds, the proportion was 23.3%, while in 20 to 25-year-olds it was 21.7%.

- 39% said their mental health had declined since beginning university.

To fundraise for such a brilliant cause, my planned events are as follows:

January - 75 Hard (for a month)

February - The Reinvented Marathon

March - The Ultra Loop - 30K

April - Stratford-upon-Avon Marathon

May - 10 Peaks Challenge Brecon Beacons

June - Swansea Half Marathon (with Weighted Vest)

July - Tough Mudder 1 - Manchester or Lincolnshire

August - 3 Peaks Challenge

September - Tough Mudder 2 - Ragley Hall

October - Coast2Coast Cycle

November - Alton Towers Half Marathon

December - Christmas Day Cracker Ultra Marathon Run

** I’d also love to connect with and share the journey with as many of you as possible.**

Whether you are an old friend and we haven't caught up in a while, a colleague who would love to test themselves or we've never met and you fancy trying something new, hopefully there is an event that ‘appeals’ to everyone.

Don’t worry if you aren't much of an athlete, neither am I and we’ll be taking it slow!

**If you are interested, just give me a message with the event name(s) and we’ll take it from there!**

Whether you donate, sign up for an event or share this page to your friends and family, any action to help raise as much as possible for such a wonderful cause is appreciated :)

Wishing everyone the best from 2024,

Harrison