A staff worker at TEWV took part in the Movember MoRunning half marathon in Newcastle on Saturday after he struggled with his own mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Elliott Joyce, 30, from Thornaby, is a patient system officer at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, which provides the mental health and learning disability care in Teesside, County Durham, and North Yorkshire.
He ran the 13.1-mile course to raise money for Movember, a charity that aids mental health support for men around the world.
The charity means a lot to Elliot and his family, which raises awareness of men’s mental health.
He said: “During lockdown my son was born, and I almost lost my wife during childbirth. My own mental health wasn’t great during this tough period of my life.
“I was a teacher at the time and needed to change my profession so that I could provide more support at home with the recovery of my wife and my son.
“I changed my career to allow me to work from home to support my family and battle my own mental health – and now we have come out of it.”
Elliot ran the half marathon in one hour, 59 minutes and 53 seconds.
With all the training before the event and during the run itself, he has run a total of 303.4 miles and has so far raised £143 for the charity.
“My goal is to raise at least £1 for every mile I have ran,” he continued.
“If I’m honest, I suffered with my mental health in silence and I don’t want anyone to have to go through that battle alone. So, I now raise awareness for Movember when I get the chance.
“My wife and son are now both thriving, and my son started nursery in September, which he absolutely loves.
“Unfortunately, they were not able to cheer me on at the weekend due to illness, but my son was wearing my medal with pride when I got home”.
