A run for John

My brother John would have been 43 this year. Sadly he passed away February last year, taken too soon by alcohol addiction and poor mental health.

He was a Dad, a brother, a son. He loved Man United, classic 90s indie and singing with a smile.

I still struggle to believe what happened, his death has shown me even more than I knew before how important it is to speak about how you feel, particularly as a man, and to lead with honesty, openness and humility. Not ego, the idea that being a man means "getting on with it" or projecting some false notion of strength and male pride.

I am determined to be better than that, to try and learn from my brother's loss, and be the best man I can be, proactive, purposeful and projecting a positive energy into a world that can often seem so dark.

So with all that in mind, and in honour of my big brother, I will be running the Jane Tomlinson 10k Run For All for Menfulness, a men's social wellbeing charity who aim to reduce suicide among men by fighting the stigma around men's mental health, and who's get-together's have helped me through really tough times.

If you would like to donate to this fantastic charity, and in support of this extremely unfit man running for them, then you can do so here.

This one's for you Big Bruv.