About

Based at 'The Open Art Surgery' in Gilesgate, Durham, RT Projects offer a happy, safe and creative space for individuals who are living with mental health problems, particularly those who are suffering from depression or anxiety-related disorders. The support they offer is so needed- 1 in 4 people will experience mental health problems in any given year, and last year, suicide rates in England hit a record high.

RT Projects is close to my heart (get used to hearing that, its something you will hear everyone say after a visit to the open art surgery!). I first met Emma and Beano whilst volunteering at University in Durham, and seeing the difference they made gave me hope, and is responsible for my own career working in a charity. Years on, something about RT Projects is contagious and keeps me coming back.

One of RTProjects biggest events, 'Run to the Sun', an ambitious 24-hour relay race, has sadly had to be postponed. Charities have been impacted in lots of ways by COVID-19, and we'll need to work hard to support them. But don't worry, we are keeping the event running - literally!

I will be attempting to keep the event alive by running a mile an hour, every hour... for 24 hours... I know right, exhausting even just thinking about it!! That will mean me running throughout the night. This isn't going to be easy, and will be a huge challenge for me, especially as I have spent the most of lockdown on my bum eating chocolate!

I'll be kicking off at 6am on 13th June, and finishing on 14th June. If you're local to me and see me running, please give me a cheer and help keep me going! I'll have a number on my back- that's the number mile i'm on! If you would like to run a mile with me, perhaps to reflect on your own mental health, find out more about RT Projects, or just to support me- let me know and we can arrange that safely to work within the governments social distancing guidelines.

Your donation will make a real difference. Before I started working for charities I always read these kinds of things and scrolled on, 'give what you can', 'every little helps'... it didn't really have context. But seriously, every single donation makes an actual difference to peoples lives. If you'de normally be down the pub and have saved a few quid, consider donating the price of a pint to RT Projects to help them adapt to bring their services online, and support the people they work with to access them.

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