Thank you Graeme - Ultramarathon for Out of the Blues Charity

Out of the Blues would like to officially thank Mr Graeme Denman for his generous donation towards our charitable work. Graeme is a GP trainee currently working in community psychiatry. Earlier this year, he took part in the Lakeland Trails Ultramarathon, running 110km over a period of about 17 hours – a challenge enough for even the most seasoned of runners! He used this opportunity to raise an incredible total of £1480.30 for Out of the Blues, for which he has our heartfelt thanks.

The personal motivation behind his endeavour is the sad story of Sally Allan, the mother of a close friend of his. Last Christmas, she left home at 3am, and never returned. The story touched many people in the local community and beyond. Her son Clive and his fiancée Annie, along with their respective families, have helped raise over £17,000 for the charity ‘Mind’. Their desire to leave a positive legacy for Sally inspired Graeme to do something himself to continue the promotion and understanding of mental health issues. His aim is to support organisations that will increase people's awareness of mood disorders and help them to recognise when their loved ones need help and support.

As Graeme himself said,“I don't often raise money when running, but I wish to dedicate this to Clive, the Allan & Eccles family, and above all, to Sally. Let's break the stigma of mental health, and continue to develop effective treatment and support for all those affected. All money raised will go directly to Out of the Blues.” As indeed it has. The donation is a substantial addition to the start-up funds that Out of the Blues will launch with. These funds will be used to support the small, pilot research studies that are typically underfunded, despite being an essential first step towards addressing key unanswered questions regarding the causes and treatment of mood disorders.

If you would like to make a donation, or perhaps run your own event in aid of Out of the Blues, please get in touch with us on Twitter, via our Facebook page, or by using the contact page on our website. Have a laugh, and help a good cause at the same time!