Thank you for taking the time to visit my page and read my story.

On Saturday 19th March I will take part to the National Swimathon and swim 5k (200 lengths) without intervals, and on Sunday 17th April, day after my birthday, I will run 26.2 miles in the Brighton Marathon.

But I have a confession to make:  I hate running and I haven't swam for over two years!

So why am I doing this and why even telling you? Because if you know how challenging these events are going to be for me, maybe you will feel more compelled to sponsor me and support my chosen charity.

I have seen by first hand the type of transformative support MindOut can offer and there are cases where their help has been life saving. All the money raised by this fundraising will NOT go to pay phone bills or office rental, instead will go directly to running their free, independent and person-centred services.

I truly thank you for your support! x

So, what is MindOut?

1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year and young LGBTQ people under 26 are more likely to attempt suicide and to self harm.

MindOut is a mental health service run by and for lesbians, gay men, bisexual, trans, and queer people.

They provide advice & information, advocacy, a peer support group work programme, wellbeing activities and events, a peer mentoring service, an out of hours online chat service and a food & allotment project.

MindOut is based in Brighton, and also work around the country to deliver LGBTQ Affirmative Practice training for Mental Health professionals and seek to influence national policy & practice.

Mental Health Promotion events and anti-stigma campaigns are important parts of their work to improve the mental health in communities.

People with lived experience of mental health issues are involved at all levels of the organisation: in planning, designing, developing, promoting and running services.

For more information on this charity, please visit their website www.mindout.org.uk

P.S.      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