24 April 2025

Our biggest fundraising weekend!

This Sunday sees a huge number of amazing APP fundraisers in action all over the country, and beyond!

Not only do we have five APP runners taking part in the world famous London Marathon, we also have one runner in the Manchester Marathon, a team of 8 in the Antwerp 10 Mile, and a walker taking on the 23 mile Glasgow Kiltwalk!

All of them have been training hard for months and months in preparation for this weekend, as well as fundraising. We're so grateful to all of them and are looking forward to cheering them on on Sunday.

Read on to find out more about each of our amazing supporters.

London Marathon 

Holly was lucky enough to secure a ballot place in this year's London Marathon, and fortunately for us, she's chosen to represent APP. Holly has fundraised for us before, running a marathon a month back in 2016/17! She's passionate about supporting APP because her sister had PP in 2013 after the birth of her son, Holly's nephew, Leo.

Holly explains: 'As Leo and my daughter, Imogen, were only born six weeks apart, it was a very challenging time in our lives. APP gave us support at the time and since then I have raised money for them through lots of running events.

The London Marathon is on my bucket list. I watch it on the news every year and feel inspired by all the people lacing up their trainers to raise money for such awesome causes.'

Thank you for running for us Holly! Good luck. Add your support for Holly here.

Satpal also secured her place in this year's marathon via the ballot, and has chosen to run for APP.

Satpal has run several marathons before and but says she decided to support APP this year because: 'The cause is close to my heart as two lovely ladies and their families had to deal with this condition and that because of that I wish to raise awareness'.

Satpal will be running alongside her husband Parv on the big day. Thank you and good luck to you both!

Add your support for Satpal here.

Sarah is a very keen runner, having run eight marathons before! She got her spot in the marathon this year as a deferred Good For Age place from pre pregnancy.

Sarah suffered with mental health problems, including suspected PP after the birth of her baby Flynn, in 2023. She has chosen to share her story here to help other new mums who might be feeling like she did.

She is passionate about raising awareness of PP and wants to give something back by taking part in the London Marathon this year. Sarah is running to raise funds for both APP and the Beadnell Mother and Baby Unit in Morpeth where she was looked after so well when she was ill.

Good luck Sarah! Support Sarah here.

Chay is another keen runner who managed to get a place in the London Marathon via the ballot this year.

Chay is dedicating his run to his good friend and survivor of PP, Jade Lloyd, who was diagnosed with PP four months after having her daughter back in 2021. Jade has inspired Chay to learn more about PP through her dedication to  spreading awareness, educating health professionals and helping mothers struggling with PP.

Good luck Chay! You can follow updates from Chay on Instagram here  and add your support for him here.

Kate is probably our most experienced marathon runner, this year managing to secure her 4th 'Good For Age' place for the London Marathon, and so decided this year to run for APP.

She tells us why she chose to represent APP this year: 'My close family friend Sally Wilson, (APP's National Training Co-ordinator) suffered from this crippling condition and raising awareness of the condition is very important as spotting early signs can save lives. 
I hope to raise some money for this very important charity to help in the wonderful work that they do. 
When the going gets tough around the 19 mile mark Sally will be in my heart to spur me on to the finish!'
Kate is fundraising through organising events including a coffee morning next month. Thank you Kate - you're an inspiration! Good luck!

Manchester Marathon

Ellie

We're so proud to have Ellie representing us in the Manchester Marathon this Sunday.  It will be her first full marathon and somehow she has managed to fit in the training for it around her busy job as a perinatal psychiatrist.

Ellie says she chose to run for APP because: 'Perinatal mental illness is an area that I feel really passionately about. It was only recently that it was something people didn't really talk about but we now know that improving perinatal mental health can have a huge impact on the whole family for years to come.
When I was a foundation doctor, it was seeing a woman who had postpartum psychosis on the maternity ward that first triggered my interest in Psychiatry. I hadn't even heard of the condition and couldn't believe that somebody who was previously well could become so unwell so quickly after birth to the point that they were unable to look after themselves or their baby. It stayed with me as one of the most shocking and saddening illnesses I had ever come across.
Charities like APP can have a really big impact in this rapidly developing area to provide support to affected families and to improve awareness of this condition.'

Thank you Ellie - have a great run! Do look out for Ellie if you're in Manchester this weekend and add your support for her amazing marathon efforts here.

Antwerp 10 Mile

A family all wearing APP t-shirts standing in a sunny garden

On Sunday, Elke, Kwame and several members of their family will be taking on the Antwerp 10 Mile run - part of Belgium's biggest running event.

A fab team made up of Elke, Kwame, Tom, Adèle, Ruud, Lau, Vincent and Anne will be running a total of 80miles between them - while Opa and Oma will be looking after baby Nana and cheering the team on from the sidelines!

APP is a cause close to all their hearts, and we're so proud to have them representing us in Belgium for the first time!

Find out more about their challenge, and add your support here.

Glasgow Kiltwalk

Kirsten is taking on the biggest walk available as part of the Glasgow Kiltwalk - 23 miles from the centre of Glasgow all the way to Balloch on the banks of Loch Lomond.  Kirsten has chosen to support APP with her walk because her sister Jodie (also a past APP fundraiser!) suffered from PP after the birth of her baby.

Kirsten says: 'APP helped my sister feel a sense of normality and comfort during a confusing and traumatic time. By providing Christmas presents to all of the mums in the Mother and Baby Unit that my sister was staying in, that small gesture helped spread some joy during a dark time - while giving the mums a reminder that people care about them.  Postpartum Psychosis is a condition my family and myself were unaware of until we experienced it with Jodie, so having a charity like APP to spread awareness to the condition is so important as it is a lot more common than you realise. 

The charity helped my sister to realise how many other women experience this illness, which made her feel much less alone and alienated and was a lot less scared knowing that other woman have survived it…so she could too!'

Thank you - we hope you have a great day Kirsten! You can add your support for Kirsten's Kiltwalk here.