Supporter Stories

‘George, my beautiful son. 24 years young and so full of life, love, and energy.  Always had a joke to be told at the most inappropriate of times 🙂

 He would light up the room, talk to anyone, and strangers soon became friends.   He was one of a kind. George enjoyed playing his guitar, trying out new moves on his skateboard. But most of all, he loved to spend time with his 2 beautiful children; he adored them, he was an amazing daddy.

 George was kind, caring, and sensitive. More recently, he was diagnosed with severe ADHD, which at times made him vulnerable.  George could struggle with different aspects/ pressures of daily life.  He was in the process of seeking professional help – but unfortunately for us, that help wasn’t soon enough. George would regularly self-medicate and sadly passed away on 25th Nov 2024.

Before George died, I had been lucky enough to secure a place via the ballot to run the London Marathon 2025. Losing George was a huge shock, and in the midst of my grief, I was not at first sure that I could run those miles. 3 months later, and I am throwing myself into training.  It’s giving me somethingto  focus on, the biggest physical and mental challenge I’ve ever faced, but I feel I have to do this one for George.  

Bristol Mind offers mental health and counselling support for adults within our community.  Over the last year, they ran a free pilot service to 18-25 year-olds using public donations made via the Big Give Kind2Mind campaign 2024.  Bristol Mind has consistently highlighted the need for more counselling for the 18-25 year age group, a generation deeply affected by Covid-19 and the ongoing social and economic challenges faced in our society. Young adults are often more vulnerable than we think; they need support, and we need to do more to help them. 

George always wanted to help those less fortunate than himself.  For this reason, I have chosen Bristol Mind as my charity of choice for the London Marathon on Saturday, 27^th April  2025.