Sudbury mental health counsellor Carley Maxim gearing up to run Brighton Marathon in aid of Kernos Centre charity

A Sudbury counsellor has described her first-hand experience of the importance of supporting mental health, as she prepares for another marathon effort for charity.

Carley Maxim, a counsellor at the Friars Street-based Kernos Centre, is currently in training to run the Brighton Marathon on April 6.

It will be almost a year since she made her marathon debut in Manchester in April, raising more than £1,000 for the charity, after she completed the course in under five hours.

To prepare for the 26.2-mile run in Brighton, Carley is running gradually-increasing distances three times a week, sometimes starting as early as 5.30am.

“I feel passionately about mental health,” said Carley, who has been counselling at Kernos for more than three-and-a-half years.

“Last year, I ran my first marathon in Manchester. The training is time-consuming and the event is mind-blowing.

“I remember I cried and I wanted to give up, but you somehow keep pushing. I remembered why I was doing it. Giving up for me is never an option.

“I’m a survivor. I felt like an underachiever growing up, but now I’m me and I can achieve, as my self-worth and self-belief is where I want it to be.”

Along with her marathon efforts, Carley also organised a 24-hour fitness fund-raiser at Zest Gym, in Sudbury, in 2023, also in aid of the Kernos Centre.

Each year, the money raised from her challenges goes towards the cost of one-to-one counselling sessions provided by the charity, which does not receive support from the NHS.

To donate to the cause, go online to gofund.me/1a991ece

“I am a counsellor for Kernos and I sees first-hand the support it offers people,” added Carley. “They are also fortunate to have a great volunteer team that allow the costs to keep sustainable.

“Please help me raise money to provide one-to-one counselling for a child or adult who needs this service.”