My Story

Thank you for visiting my London Marathon Sponsorship page.

I am really excited (and nervous!!) to be running the London Marathon in April 2026 for a charity which is very close to my heart. I want to tell you a little bit about why I have chosen to run for The Listening Place and about the amazing work that the charity does to save lives like my own.

In 2019, at the start of my third year of medical school, I was diagnosed with depression and generalised anxiety disorder. I felt extremely guilty about this as on paper I had everything I had ever wanted in life - I was studying the degree I’d always wanted to do, had a loving family, was living with friends in a flat in London and was in a healthy relationship. However of course no one is immune to mental illness and it affects 1 in 4 of us personally and we will all know someone who has been ill with their mental health. 

With the help of medication, therapy, and support from my family and friends by the end of 2019 I started to get a little better. However at the start of 2020 things took a turn for the worse and I started to develop thoughts of ending my life. I really struggled to speak openly about these thoughts, and very few people knew how low things were. I didn’t really know how to tell my loved ones and was worried about upsetting them even more. One day I booked an urgent GP appointment because of how low things got. It was during this appointment I was told about The Listening Place, a London-based charity who provide free, regular, face-to-face support so that people can talk openly about their suicidal feelings. On that same day I referred myself to The Listening Place and I soon heard back confirming my first assessment appointment.

I soon met the wonderful volunteer who would support me over several sessions called Claire. Initially I felt guilty for using this service - surely there were people who needed it more than me? However, Claire made me feel like I was worthy of our sessions she listened and supported me for 50 minutes each week.

In fact, The Listening Place supports people from all walks of life and has always been able to offer everyone who is referred a first appointment within seven days. I truly believe that without Claire, I wouldn’t be here today. But not only this, Claire really helped me to start to believe in myself and become the outgoing, chatty, and life-living version of myself that I am today. I will forever be grateful for Claire and The Listening Place.

Working as a doctor has meant that I have met many patients who are experiencing suicidal thoughts and I have recommended The Listening Place to many of them.

I really hope to raise enough money so that Claire and the many other volunteers at The Listening Place can continue to support more people like me and my patients with suicidal thoughts because this charity is truly life-saving.

To give you an idea of how your sponsorship could support The Listening Place:

• £5 could help provide a comforting cup of tea or coffee to every visitor across their sites.
• £35 could help fund an initial face-to-face appointment between a visitor and one of their warm, non-judgmental volunteers.
• £100 could help train a listening volunteer to deliver their support.

On behalf of The Listening Place and myself, thank you so much for your support.