Our Fab Four complete the Royal Parks Half! A very big Thank You and Congratulations to our 'Fab Four': Pete, Julie, Emma & Jessie, who completed this year's Royal Parks Half Marathon on Sunday 13th October! All four of them completed the course, amongst all the mud, and have managed raise £1,300 between them, which is amazing, and it looks like they all had a fantastic time! Pete said: "After a nightmare getting there with Green Park tube station being shut over safety fears and having to walking just over half a mile to Hyde Park, I managed to finish in 2hr 18 so I was well happy with that time. Thank you for letting me run for APP, it’s been a privilege" You can still donate to Pete's JustGiving page here. Julie said: "Today’s race was amazing, I loved it! And did it in 2h 35 which I am really happy about." You can donate to Julie's Virgin Money Giving page here. Jessie said: "Yeah! We did it! 🏅 Well done to all the other APP runners. Amazing atmosphere. So tired now!" You can donate to Jessie's JustGiving page here. Emma said: "I finished in 3 hours which for me is embarrassingly good! One of the other APP runners v kindly tapped me on the shoulder as she was running - was lovely to see. Thanks so much again, was a real honour to wear the APP vest." You can donate to Emma's JustGiving page here. And a final BIG THANK YOU to Pete, Julie, Emma and Jessie - you're all amazing and we couldn't do this with your support! Kelly and Robert ran through the rain! A very big Thank You to Kelly and Robert who battled through a huge downpour of rain to complete the 10K Forestry Race in Thetford Forest on 6th October, in aid of APP and the National Autistic Society and have raised £1,150 - amazing! We've far exceeded our expectations on the fundraising front and hopefully the update with the photos showing us dripping wet may help drum up a few more donations." What amazing dedication from them both! Thank you so much! Please support Kelly & Robert and donate what you can on their Virgin Money Giving page here. Congratulations and big thanks to Raechel, who completed the Windsor Half marathon on 29th September in aid of APP! Raechel says: "I completed the marathon in the wind and rain in 2 hours 41 mins. It was a really great day and hope what I have raised helps APP." You can still donate to Raechel's JustGiving page here. Thank you so much Raechel for all your hard work and support of APP! Jenn is running the Gunpowder plot, York 10k! The York Gunpowder Plot 10km is a 2 lap route around York Knavesmire racecourse, overlooked by Terry's clock tower and the racecourse grandstands. Jenn says: "I have nothing but the utmost respect for the strength that these women show as they battle to regain their sense of self as well as reconciling their roles as new mums. Recovery is hard, often unseen and rarely positively linear. I cannot stress enough how in need we are for services and support to help those who experience serious trauma of this nature. Please donate and support Jenn's 10K via her JustGiving page here. Thanks so much Jenn, we hope you have a fab event on 3rd November! The Yellow Wallpaper concert in Aberdeen! Thanks to Anna McClure who is hosting an amazing concert on Friday 25th October at St Machar's Cathedral, Aberdeen, in aid of APP! Developed by Aberdeen-based performance artist Angela Margaret Main and composer Anna McClure, this special concert is partly based on the famous short story, 'The Yellow Wallpaper' written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1892, which explores a woman’s struggle with Postpartum Psychosis. Anna has composed a new and original piece for this concert, The Yellow Wallpaper for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion and piano with a performance piece by artist, Angela Margaret. The concert also features works responding to other mental health conditions by Calum Carswell and Anna McClure. There will be a soundconversation with the composers after the performance as well as a short talk by APP's Sally Wilson! The concert is taking place at Machar's Cathedral, The Chanonry, Old Aberdeen, AB24 1RQ, and you can purchase advance tickets here - £11 adult ticket, £6 conc and U18 & students go FREE. Find out more via the official Facebook event page here. Thank you so much to Anna for organsing such an increbile event in aid of APP! Our 'Fab Four' running this year's Royal Parks Half! For this year's Royal Parks Half marathon we have four amazing runners taking part: Pete, Emma, Julie and Jessie! All four are taking part in this year's half marathon, which takes place on Sunday 13th of October in central London. It takes in the capital’s world-famous landmarks on closed roads, and four of London’s eight Royal Parks – Hyde Park, The Green Park, St James’s Park and Kensington Gardens - in all their autumnal glory! Pete chose to support APP, "because when I was expecting my first child, my work colleague Rachel was also expecting in the same year. Rachel and I seemed to hit our big life events at the same time - marriage and children. My son was born in May and her son was born in December. Both heathy little lads but unfortunately Rachel was hit by Postpartum Psychosis soon after he was born. This really hit home for me and after seeing her recovery I could see the good work APP does." Julie is supporting APP as she says, "For many women, the arrival of a baby is a real challenge but for some of them, like me, it can turn into the most traumatic and painful experience, leaving you feeling so ashamed, guilty, anxious and desperate that your mind makes you think that the only way out is to take your own life. I did not suffer from Postpartum Psychosis myself but experienced what we call postpartum depression. I was not diagnosed when I had my first baby, if I had, I would not have had to go through a much more severe depression with the arrival of my second baby, my beautiful little girl. Thank God, I asked for help and was finally hospitalised for 3 long months. It was hard to be away from my family. I had to remind myself everyday that it was for the best that I was not with my little baby girl, that I was missing all these moments in her brand new life but yes, it was ! I fought really hard, I took medication, spoke to a psychiatrist on a daily basis and now look at me, a proud Mummy of two, running a half marathon ! Never felt so good before in my life: all this work was worth it! Please donate to this charity so women like me can be brought back to life and enjoy fully the wonderful gift of love and motherhood." Jessie is supporting APP because "APP has helped me over the past 6 years in my recovery from Postpartum Psychosis, a severe but treatable mental illness experienced a few weeks after having a baby." and says "I have been training hard for race day - from barely being able to run up the stairs to 13.1 miles - it has been quite a feat! But knowing that I am raising awareness of Postpartum Psychosis and money for APP has kept me going." Emma chose to support APP through finding out about PP in her work as a Consultant and Practitioner Psychologist at Jigsaw Clinic London. Please support our 'fab four' and donate what you can via their online donation pages! With huge thanks to Pete, Emma Julie and Jessie for all their hard work - we wish them all the best with their training and hope they have lots of autumn sunshine on 13th October! Arnside Ladies Choir sing for APP! A big thank you to the Arnside Ladies Choir who are holding a fantastic 'Showstoppers' concert on Friday 1st November, in aid of APP! It looks like it's going to be a wonderful event and if you're in or near to South Cumbria please do go along. With special thanks to the Arnside Ladies Choir for chosing to support APP; we hope you have a showstopping time! You can find out more about Arnside Ladies' Choir here: www.arnsideladieschoir.co.uk Thanks so much to everyone involved. Elizabeth brings Irene's Ghost to Walthamstow! Huge thanks to Elizabeth, who hosted a screening of Irene's Ghost film in Walthamstow, London on Saturday 7th September, raising funds in aid of APP! Elizabeth arranged a screening at her local cinema, Mirth, Marvel and Maud, in Walthamstow, which is an amazging Grade II* listed building, famous for having been frequented by Alfred Hitchcock and for being built on a site where films were shown as early as 1896. The screening also included a Q&A session after the film, with our brilliant volunteer Kat on the panel! Elizabeth said: "I'm so pleased that so many people could come to the screening of Irene's Ghost for APP... we had mums, dads, babies, toddlers and teens there, as well as a smattering of health professionals (including a midwife, perinatal mental health workers and a GP). It was fabulous to have Ellie Land, the animation director to introduce Irene's Ghost and lead the Q&A afterwards with Kat. Such a warm and supportive atmosphere with important awareness raising too - all from the comfort of our cinema seats. With special thanks to Elizabeth for hosting this screening. To find out more about Irene's Ghost and where it is being screened in the UK visit: http://irenesghost.com/screenings If you'd like to arrange a screening in your local cinema you can read Elizabeth's Top Ten Tips to organising a screening of Irene's Ghost here. Well done and thank you to the very brave Ele and Greg who both completed a skydive in aid of APP on 26th August and have raised nearly £900! Thank you both so much; an amazing achievement! Ele says: "I feel so proud of myself for facing up to my fears and jumping out of a plane at 13,000 feet - not a birthday I’ll forget in a hurry! My instructor was a legend and really put me at ease, conditions were perfect - not a cloud in the sky, such beautiful views! Still can’t quite believe I’ve done it but I never would have before PP so it’s definitely made me a braver person. Thank you so much to all who sponsored us, really hope the money can help other women struggling as I have and that this can inspire them that they can do amazing things again after psychosis - there is life beyond and alongside mental illness, and it can even be pretty amazing at times too!" And what a fantastic time they had on the day! You can still donate via their GoFundMe page here. A big Thank You to Ele and Greg for all your support - what a brave pair! ...and if you're interested in doing a skydive for APP you can find out more about it here. Kimberley's fantastic fitness event! A big Thank You to Kimberley for hosting an amazing 8 hour fitness event in aid of APP on Saturday 18th August, and has raised nearly £650 so far - what a fantastic achievement! Kimberley's event was split up into 8 different hour long fitness sessions, where people could sign up to one or more sessions in return for a small donation to APP, and she also laid on refreshments too! Kimberley says: "the event went absolutely fantastically yesterday! A brilliant turn out and raised £313.97. So as well as the £220 from the online page so far (it’s open for another month as yet!) Plus I have also done two cake stalls raising approximately £70 each! All in all a very successful day!" By the looks of things everyone had a brilliant time!
Kelly says: "The weather was terrible, more like a swim than a run at times but we did it and are both really proud. Honestly the photos don't quite do it justice as to how ridiculously wet it was...there were several near misses at the classic 'Vicar of Dibley' moment as there was more puddle than track for pretty much the entire 10KM course but despite that I got a real buzz out of doing the run.
Huge thanks to Jenn who is running the Gunpowder plot, York 10K on 3rd November, in aid of APP!
Visit Pete's JustGiving page here.
Visit Julie's VirginMoneyGiving page here.
Visit Jessie's JustGiving page here.
Visit Emma's JustGiving page here.
The concert starts at 2.30pm and the choir will be singing hits from the musicals, at the Arnside WI Hall, in South Cumbria. Tickets cost £5 and proceeds will be donated to APP on the day!
Irene's Ghost is a must-watch film for anyone with an interest in mental health but even for those who don't, it is a beautiful, moving portrayal of the intricacies of family life and the impact of the things we don't discuss. The film was recently listed as one of the best films of 2019 by The Guardian - click here to read the article in full.How to arrange a screening of Irene's Ghost at your local cinema!
I'd like to think some small donation might help the charity to host events, bringing women together doing what they love such as music or art, or that it can promote awareness.
So, I hope you will consider donating and I will do another run in return, with my co-runner and PIC, JG. Thanks xx Jenn xx
Massive thank you to APP for your help in setting up this event and your attendance at it. No one wanted to leave at the end and I know many important and valuable conversations were continuing long after the event formally ended."
Thank you so much to Kimberley for all the hard work to plan and prepare for the event, and for everyone who took part and donated as well. It really is an amazing achievement and we are very grateful for your support!
Read full article