A LOCAL therapist from Newton-le-Willows is a quarter of the way through his 100 mile challenge this month, raising money for the mental health charity Mind after turning his life round.
Each day throughout November, Chris Skoyles, who is a trained hypnotherapist and counsellor, will be running around his hometown in aid of Mind - and is encouraging others to support the charity by donating throughout his 100 mile challenge.
Chris, who runs CJS Therapy at Es Paradis in Earlestown, has already raised over £170 after a week of his fundraiser and says the support will prove to be a big motivator in completing his gruelling 30 day challenge.
Chris said: "More people than ever have been affected by mental health problems over the last few years, so it’s incredible that so many people have already come out to help me raise money for a charity which do such invaluable work in ensuring that anyone who is struggling feels supported and respected.
“Every penny raised will help Mind provide essential support through their telephone helplines and online communities. It also provides vital funds so that Mind can campaign for better access to talk therapies and other useful mental health services.
"Of course, it will also help to keep me going as I run 100 miles in the cold, wet November weather!”
Chris explained that his decision to take on the charity challenge stemmed from his own personal struggles with mental health issues, where he turned to running as a healthy coping method and retrained as a counsellor in order to help others.
Chris stated: "Running has been so important to my own mental health and wellbeing. A few years ago, I suffered a really dark and scary period of depression, so I turned to running to help me.
“The more I ran, the better I felt. I was eventually able to turn my life around and retrain as a counsellor and hypnotherapist so that I could support people who still felt as hopeless as I once did.
“Still, I know that for every person I’m able to help through my therapy practice, there are countless others I can’t reach personally. I thought that if all the miles I’ve ran so far were so helpful to me, then running 100 more could be helpful to others in terms of ensuring they can access the support they need.
“This is a big undertaking for me, but it’s one I’m very passionate about and determined to see through.”
Anyone wishing to donate can do so via this link while more information about Chris' challenge can be found here
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