Emily, Steve, (whole marathon) Graham, Kathryn Nigel, Liam (marathon relay) are running the Manchester marathon in aid of the Oxfordshire Discovery College (ODC) on Sunday 27th April 2025. A charity that Liam is a founding trustee of, due to his own experiences of facing mental health challenges through his teenage years.

Young people across the country are courageously fighting to maintain their wellbeing and deserve better. A staggering one

in five 8-16 year olds have a probable mental health problem - that’s six in every school classroom. In just three years, the number of children referred for emergency mental health care in the UK has increased by more than

50%, and we now have nearly 500,000 children taking prescriptions for antidepressants. This is not normal.

The ODC, is determined to improve wellbeing outcomes for every child and young person they work with, by directly engaging withthem to offer hope, role models, and practical strategies for wellness.

ODC work with an incredibly broad age range (from 4-25), and also work with

parents, carers and professionals; recognising that change can only be made by

involving the networks of support that surround each young person. Whilst ODC cover the

whole of Oxfordshire, their programmes are strongly place-based, recognising that

children need these local roots to thrive.

ODC are fierce defenders of their services remaining free at the point of access so that

any young person, regardless of circumstance, can get the help that they need. They dont

set inflexible limits on how long a young person can engage with them they can access one programme, or they can return to ODC whenever they need it over a-series of years.

ODC employ people who have their own lived experience of mental ill health, alongside

experts-by-profession: working equally ODC ask them to draw on their combined expertise to ensure their programmes are authentic, relatable, and pragmatic but also packed full of the latest research and evidence.

ODC are proudly different, and have big aims to not only support young people across Oxfordshire but also support other areas of the country to help set up this model and support for young people.

Between the 6 of us we have only ever run one marathon! So please give generously for a great cause. Thank you.