Do you want to join me in making a difference? I’m raising money in aid of State of Mind Sport and every donation will help. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

Donate here if you can https://www.gofundme.com/f/london-marathon-2026-in-aid-of-state-of-mind-sport?attribution_id=sl:e0a0c781-afb7-472b-a5a8-76a4b2e8075e&utm_campaign=natman_sharesheet_dash&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link

Louise said “For me sport is a huge stress reliever for me, when I’m playing I have no others worries in the world other than the football, it’s also a great way of meeting new friends and having a sense of belonging in a team. In 2023 I sustained a bad knee injury at my football training session which I had to undergo surgery to fix, this meant I was out of football for months and had a long road to recovery ahead of me. The journey back to playing was hard physically and mentally, from day one having to do repetitive exercises 4 times a day for weeks when it was painful, exhausting and all I could do was sit around and wait to do the next exercises was very tough. Rehab was also very lonely when my team was out training and playing and I was sat in the gym or physio room it drained me a lot, but I had to push through to get out the other side.”

My football team had state of mind come in and talk to us about strategies to cope with mental struggles in sport and things on a pitch you can do to calm yourself. They also made it clear that they are always open to talk to with any concerns and that it’s important to SPEAK UP and not keep things bottled up to yourself.

This year I ran the Manchester marathon with 0 training, 99% of people said I wouldn’t be able to finish it. However, on 27th April I completed my first ever marathon. Although no one thought I could do it (except me) and it was very very challenging and difficult physically and mentally to push though when I felt like I couldn’t do it and my legs were hurting, at the back of my head I had the thought of people saying I couldn’t do it and I was wanting to prove them all wrong (and show myself what I could achieve), so I pushed through and gave it everything and completed it.

I believe that the talk from State of Mind helped me understand my own feelings about mental health, and the positive impact sport and talking can have. I want to give something back to this important charity that helps so many people push through and achieve their own positive goals and dreams

All donations are greatly appreciated! https://www.gofundme.com/f/london-marathon-2026-in-aid-of-state-of-mind-sport?attribution_id=sl:e0a0c781-afb7-472b-a5a8-76a4b2e8075e&utm_campaign=natman_sharesheet_dash&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link