Table Tennis England’s Marketing and Communications Manager Hannah Holland was among those pounding the streets for the London Marathon last weekend, raising money for a great cause.

Hannah was supporting the mental health charity Mind, and has so far raised more than £500.

Hannah said: “As stated on the Mind website, ‘every year, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem. But hundreds of thousands of people are still struggling’. These are worrying statistics and are what encouraged me to choose Mind as my charity for London Marathon.

“With World Mental Health Day just around the corner, on October 10, it was also a timely reminder that we should all look after our mental health and be there for one another. Pick up the phone, send a friend or loved one a message if you haven’t been in touch for a while.”

Hannah is a seasoned runner and is female captain for her local running club Run Wednesdays, supporting women and girls to get running.

She said: “I’ve run for as long as I can remember. I always enjoyed running at school and have continued to do so.  It’s always helped me mentally, as well as physically; I know when I’m going out for a run, that I’m going to have time and space to think about things, or just be. There’s nothing like it.

“Although I’m a seasoned runner, the London Marathon was still a massive challenge for me, maybe because I don’t really see myself as a long-distance runner and I knew I would really have to dig deep to keep going.

“I had a great run up until 21 miles but then I struggled; I think mainly because I barely slept a wink the night before and my energy levels crashed. However, I ran/walked for about 4 miles, then managed to run the last 1.2 miles and even sprinted the Mall!

“I did get a personal best by one second and my official chip time was 4hrs 24sec. I was trying to get a sub 4hrs but it wasn’t my day.

“It was as amazing as ever, the crowds were incredible, and I was extremely lucky to have a ballot place for the second time.”

If you would like to make a donation via Just Giving, click here.