BSMHFT doctor runs London Marathon in honour of friend

Clinical Psychologist Dr Sally Ingamells completes the London Marathon in honour of her late friend who sadly died by suicide.

Dr Ingamells and her son Peter were amongst over 50,000 finishers of the London Marathon last weekend. Together the pair decided to fundraise for the mental health charity, Mind.

Sadly, in September of 2023, Sally’s close friend of over 30 years tragically lost her life by suicide. To honour her memory, Sally and Peter decided to run the London Marathon whilst fundraising to support the one in four people in the UK who struggle with their mental health.

Being visually impaired, Sally, guided by her son trained for over four months in preparation for the big day. The pair ran the 26.2 miles across the capital city side by side, raising over £600 and counting – surpassing their target fundraising goal of £500.

Taking to the streets last Sunday, Sally reflected on her experience saying:

“The training was a steep learning curve and it certainly stretched my abilities.

On the day, I felt a mixture of amazement that I’d made it to the start and nervousness about the job I’d turned up to do. I loved soaking up the atmosphere, being in the moment and just going with the flow!

“The finish line was along the Mall – even the King waited in. I was position 37,785 and took four hours 53 minutes and 34 seconds. I felt elated, accomplished and content… alongside being a bit stiff.”

When asked if she would ever run the London Marathon again, Sally promisingly remarked “I’ll never say never.”

Sally’s JustGiving page is still live to donate.

If like Sally, you would like to raise funds for a mental health charity, why not sign up to fundraise for our Trust’s charity, Caring Minds. Caring Minds support the Trust’s Vision of improving mental health wellbeing by providing funding that will enhance and add value to the service user and staff experience beyond what the NHS is able to provide. This may include equipment, specialised furniture, service user events, activities, carer’s wellbeing activities, staff appreciation events and much more.

If you are living in Birmingham and need urgent mental health help, you can ring 0121 262 3555 or 0800 915 9292 for advice and support. This line is available 24 hours, seven days a week and can be used whether you are known to our services or not.