Taking on the miles for mental health

TWO friends ran nearly 80km in 12 days to raise money for a mental health charity.

Jono Wright and Tom Benjamin, both keen runners, decided to run the ‘12kms of Christmas’ to raise money for Young Minds, a mental health charity for children, young people and their parents.

The challenge has seen the pair, along with friends, run 1km on Christmas Day, 2km on Boxing Day and add 1km each day to their routes, culminating in a 12km run on 5th January from the Tramway Inn in Stratford.

Tom Benjamin, 40 and from Alcester, said: “Jono set the fundraising page up with a £1,000 target, and we thought if we raised a couple of hundred quid then that’d be great. Then all of a sudden we’re £11 away from £1,500, which is staggering in our eyes because all we’re doing is just going out for a little trot every day. We’re really quite overwhelmed with how it’s gone so far.

“Jono’s a schoolteacher and I have a four-year old daughter, so we’ve become a lot more aware of the pandemic’s effect on young people’s mental health, and how that’s going to affect them over the next 12 months. This charity is one of the only ones that is specifically geared towards younger people, and the support that they give them is incredible.”

The fundraiser has since reached over £3,000.

To donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/5vwuf-the-12kms-of-christmas?qid=a8e93cab1b9d6cf18e6671f548d3f10e