“Throughout my childhood I was protective of and inseparable from my younger brother Andrew.
However, I was powerless to prevent the onset of his alcoholism and the mental health issues that took hold of him as a young adult and ended with him becoming homeless.
Centrepoint offered my brother hope, setting him on the path to rehabilitation and reintegration into the community. The charity was crucial for the progressive recovery that Andrew was achieving. And despite his sad death at the tender age of 29, it was Centrepoint that provided Andrew and our family with hope at a point when no friend or family member could help anymore.
“Sixteen years on from Andrew receiving help from Centrepoint, I wanted to give something back to the organisation that helped him the most – to do something that helped keep his memory alive. I choose to raise money for Centrepoint via sponsorship, completing four increasingly difficult physical challenges over the summer of 2019: a mini-Triathlon, a 10km race, a 60km cycle to work and a full Triathlon.
The time spent training and raising money for the challenges has been both a healing and rewarding experience. It’s helped me to rediscover the special connection I had with my brother, knowing that through his memory others are being helped, as he himself was helped.”
If you'd like to know more about giving in memory of a loved one, visit our In Memory page to find out more.