On Sunday, 3rd October, Mark Robinson, from Midsomer Norton, will take on the the famous London Marathon to raise money for the mental health charity, MIND.

Mark contacted The Journal to help him raise more awareness for those who are suffering with their mental health. His aim is to raise as much money as possible, whilst running the London Marathon in a target time of under five hours. He said: “I am running on behalf of MIND, a charity that raises awareness and supports those who struggle with mental health problems.

“Statistically, one in four adults in the UK have suffered from a mental health problem over the course of the last year. The coronavirus pandemic has increased these numbers with negative words like lockdown, isolation and distancing affecting us all in one way or another.

“I know many people who struggle daily with their mental health. To remember those people during the race, I will have the initials of 26, one for every mile, important and special people on my wrist to remind me of them. If they can carry on running their own race with their mental health, I can certainly run a marathon!

“I entered the ballot just over a year ago, because I never know how to help my friends who are suffering, so I decided that supporting a charity that does tremendous work was the best option.

“I have always wanted to run the London Marathon and have failed to get into the race over the past four years, but this year I finally got in!

“I have never run a race before, let alone a marathon, so I decided that if people can take on the challenge of their mental health, I can take on this challenge, too.”

Any sponsorship would be greatly appreciated and people can do so by the visiting following the link: www.virginmoneygiving.com/runmarkrun