‘For Family Survivors’ – Wolf Runner Justine

We are a pack of 17 women running the Winter Wolf Run on Sunday 3rd November to raise money for two causes: the mental health charity MIND and the Women in Power (WiP) Bursary Fund. Please read our full story and donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/wip-wolf-run

Today we hear from Justine and her motivation to do it for her brother:

‘For family survivors, it feels like we’ve joined an awful club that no one wants to be a member of.’

We raise money annually for the WiP Bursary Fund but this year is different; we are running and fundraising in honour of our sister and friend, Jayne Blackman, who died by suicide in 2018. We want to double our fundraising so that we can give to both organisations.

Taking on the Winter Wolf Run is no small feat. Each woman running is doing so for their own personal reasons as well as for our collective goal. We range in age from 5 decades, from different walks of life and represent the power of communal action.

Let’s hear more from Justine

There are a few reasons why I’m joining the Wolf Run. Every year, I like to try and do something that gets me out of my comfort zone, both physically and mentally. Over the years I’ve tried stand-up comedy (still gigging!), pole dancing (ugghhhhh), and this year the Wolf Run seemed like a perfect combination of both!  
 
In early 2016 I lost a brother to suicide, a loss that continues to reverberate through my life. I initiated a few months after my brother passed, so while I did not know Jayne, her death felt very personal to me. It has been a shock and in a strange way also deeply comforting to realise I am not alone in facing this tragic experience. It is so difficult for family survivors, but when we join together we support each other through it. 
 
It’s great to be able to raise money for Mind. There is so much more that needs to be done in this area: more training for medical professionals, more funding into research about suicide, more public education on how to support those thinking of ending their lives, and more support for those living with the aftermath. Mind does really good work in these areas and I’m keen to support them in this. 

Please donate here https://www.gofundme.com/f/wip-wolf-run and give what you can. For each donation, big or small, we thank you so much for helping us achieve our goal and giving back to organisations creating positive change in the world.