26.2 Miles for Mental Health: Supporting Justin Pover’s London Marathon Challenge

Justin Pover will take on the 2027 London Marathon in support of Staffordshire Network for Mental Health, raising money and awareness for a charity supporting people across his local community.

Justin has always kept active. He has run half marathons, tackled peaks across the UK, taken part in amateur boxing and regularly participated in parkruns. But the London Marathon represents something on a different scale.

“I like a challenge. I don't just like going out and doing exercise for no reason - I need the motivation of a challenge.”

For Justin, that motivation is now about much more than simply reaching the finish line.

“It's a fitness challenge and fitness goal for me, but it's a double one. You're able to support this local charity, raise funds and also help raise awareness of what the charity does.”

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A local charity helping local people

Staffordshire Network for Mental Health has been supporting people's mental wellbeing in and around South Staffordshire since 2003. After receiving lottery funding for the past decade, the charity is now looking to broaden its services and make mental health support accessible to more people.

Stephen Walton, Managing Director and Trustee of Staffordshire Network for Mental Health, said:

“We're looking to diversify our offerings and include more counselling through remote services to reach a wider audience and make mental health support more accessible.”

That local focus is a big part of what appealed to Justin. National charities understandably have huge levels of awareness, but smaller organisations working directly in their communities can sometimes be less visible.

The marathon gives Justin a chance to help change that.

Turning donations into real support

Fundraising totals can sound impressive, but they are often difficult to picture in practical terms. One thing Justin was keen to understand was exactly what the money raised could provide. Stephen gave us a simple example.

Stephen detailed the actual level of support they need from a monetary perspective. Someone accessing the charity's counselling support may typically receive six sessions over six weeks, at a cost to the charity of approximately £270.

Put simply, every £270 raised could potentially fund that six-week period of support for one person. For Justin, explaining fundraising in those terms matters.

“When you say you've raised £2,000 for a mental health charity, what does that actually mean? What does that provide? Where does the money go?”

The counselling itself is designed to help people work through the challenges they are facing, giving them a path to find solutions themselves, rather than simply telling them what they should do. As Stephen puts it:

“It's more of an empowering kind of counselling provision.”

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Reaching more communities

Staffordshire Network for Mental Health is also developing its work with rural and farming communities through an initiative called Rural Mind.

Stephen highlighted some of the pressures people in those communities can face, including isolation and financial uncertainty. The charity hopes to invest further in this area as new funding becomes available, helping mental health support reach people beyond Staffordshire's larger towns and communities.

Stephen knew Justin was a natural fit to represent the charity. Justin has strong connections across Staffordshire, an interest in running and an existing commitment to men's mental health, as well as a genuine connection to the communities the charity supports.

 

Building towards 26.2 miles

Justin's training is already underway. His current routine includes shorter runs during the week alongside a longer weekend session, with the mileage gradually increasing as London gets closer.

Friends and contacts have started joining him too.

“You can go out for an hour's run on your own and it can be boring, so I've started running with different people.”

Those runs are already doing more than improving fitness. Every conversation about training becomes another chance to talk about Staffordshire Network for Mental Health and the support it provides.

Through Claim Cares, we're proud to be backing Justin as he builds towards London, with Claim.co.uk joining the businesses sponsoring his challenge. For Stephen, support from businesses can have an impact beyond the financial contribution itself.

“It feeds back into that cycle of investing in communities - the people that make businesses grow.”

And supporting the campaign doesn't necessarily have to mean donating. Sharing Justin's story, talking about mental health or simply making someone aware that local support exists can all help. As Stephen puts it:

“All support and awareness helps break down barriers and stigma.”

Between now and race day, there will be hundreds of training miles ahead. But for Justin and Staffordshire Network for Mental Health, every one of them is another opportunity to get people talking about mental health, raise vital funds and make more people aware of the support available.

“Getting to run around our capital and achieve something physically and personally for me, but also for the charity - it's a great opportunity and a fantastic cause.

How to Get Involved

Every donation will help Staffordshire Network for Mental Health continue providing counselling, mental wellbeing support and community-based services to people across Staffordshire.

Support Justin Today

To support Justin and Staffordshire Network for Mental Health, please visit the fundraising page.

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