After losing a friend at the start of lockdown, a determined Loughborough College student has taken action to raise money and awareness of mental health in young people.
Jago Ford, 18, ran 298 miles in 14 days – the distance from his home in Cornwall to Loughborough – to raise £2,100 for the Young Minds mental health charity.
He completed his epic journey at Loughborough Rugby Club on Monday (14th September 2020) to raise awareness and cash for the charity which supports young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
Jago, who has just achieved a BTEC Level 3 Sports and Exercise Sciences diploma at college over the last two years, said: “I chose to run to support Young Minds to help raise awareness of mental health in young people. I lost my mate at the start of lockdown and I’ve got another friend who has been struggling over the last two years so it is a subject close to my heart.
“Lockdown during Covid has made it worse and created a much bigger struggle for a lot of people.
“I wanted to do something about it so I chose to run 298 miles - the distance from my house in Cornwall to Loughborough, which is where I have been living for the past two years.”
Jago, who also played in Loughborough College’s Rugby Academy, pounded 21 miles per day for 14 days and has been mapping his progress on his social media channels.
He has already smashed his original £1,500 target and is now hoping to pick up more donations by sharing his story.
If you would like to support Jago, visit his Just Giving page
Find out more about Young Minds here: https://youngminds.org.uk/