"Thank you for your support"

Josef Faulkner thanks his colleagues for their support during his 'Leeds2London' charity challenge.

A few weeks have now passed since I completed ‘Leeds2London’ which saw me run from Leeds to London before completing the London Marathon.

I am trying to recover not only physically but from the experience as a whole. From being very confused by the wonky spire of Chesterfield, feeling slightly scared when running through dark, disused railway tunnels, getting lost in a field somewhere outside Milton Keynes to running the London Marathon…the whole challenge was a very fascinating, emotional and unique 262 mile adventure.

It truly was the most amazing experience because of the incredible support I received from my colleagues across the Trust.

To everyone who has donated so far, contacted me, spoken about, or even thought about this challenge – I am hugely grateful. I am also extremely thankful for the support I’ve received from those who have helped me with preparing and recovering from the challenge. This includes the campaigning, fundraising, nutritional advice, physio, promotion and keeping me positive at times when I needed it most. I won’t go on to name everyone as I fear this may turn into an Oscar’s speech but they all work for the Trust and I will be forever grateful for their help and support.

The idea to run from Leeds to London originally came out of the blue. There were two parts to this challenge. The first was to raise as much money as possible for the charity Rethink Mental Illness. The second was to help put a stop to the stigma around mental health.

The donations have now passed £7,000 and I really do hope that this challenge has helped with raising awareness and stopping the stigma around mental health.

I am very proud to work for Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and I feel that we are an organisation made up of amazing individuals which form even more amazing teams. We should be proud of who we are and why we are here.

This experience has definitely given me a different perspective and outlook. It has also given me a sore knee but I will try not to worry about that! Over the next few weeks I plan on resting, recovering and reflecting on what has been the most incredible adventure. I’m not quite sure what the next challenge will be but I do have a few ideas which I have already started to scribble down.

Until then, I will end by saying another massive THANK YOU for all of your support!

Wouldn’t it be incredible if the next challenge included more of us?