
I live in a beautiful part of the world in Galloway which is in the South West of Scotland. I can step outside the house to fantastic views and I’m lucky enough to be able to head off for a walk or a run at anytime to admire the amazing scenery.

But I spend at least five days of the week totally alone, well besides my four legged friends that is! And I’m sure I’m not the only one in this situation especially this year with covid_19.
Rural Mental Health affects us all but some of us don’t realise it. What we all must realise though is that we are not alone and there is help out there from some amazing charities.
I have found this year that when I went for a run or a walk how much it benefited my mental health which is something I’d never really noticed in the past and that the exercise wasn’t just about my physical wellbeing but mental as well.
This is why I founded Run1000. Let’s get people out running, raising Rural Mental Health awareness while raising funds for five fantastic charities!
Run1000 pitches five nations in a competition, which will take place from 1st to 31st January 2021, and will see each team run 1000 miles with the nation that reaches the milestone first, announced the winner. A team captain will lead each nation, and a private Strava group will record the collective running distance.
As well as helping personal mental health, the initiative will raise awareness and funds for charities that have been impacted by the lack of fundraising events this year. The £20 joining fee will be divided equally between five charities, selected by the team captains – The Farming Community, Embrace Farm, The Do More Agriculture Foundation, RSABI and DPJ Foundation.
So, if you enjoy running, or want to support and raise awareness of Rural Mental Health why not sign up to your team below and help banish those January Blues! It’s not about the distance you can run but about taking part and adding your run to the grand total for your country!
The Five Nations