Brother’s memory motivates Horsham runner ahead of marathon

Samantha Padgham, 36, is running for the mental health charity MIND, to raise awareness of mental illness.

It is a charity particularly close to her heart, as her brother Simon suffered from depression and anxiety and died days before his 38th birthday.

Samantha said: “He was a very intelligent guy, he had more degrees than I had hot meals!

“He struggled probably since he was about 18 years old. As a teenager he always worried what he looked like and I think he always thought he never fitted.

“He left behind quite a lot of close friends. He went to the Forest School and I think they struggled because you are not meant to lose a friend in their 30s.”

Samantha praised Simon as ‘bright’, ‘fun’ and added ‘he had hundreds of friends’.

She also said that his death has had an impact on her outlook on life.

She said: “I try to look more on the positive side - I suppose I see that life can be short. It has made me braver in life, and I guess now nothing is that bad.”

Samantha is hosting a raffle at the Bedford pub in Horsham on Saturday February 8 to raise funds for MIND.

Beauty treatments, haircuts and meals will be among the prizes, and local band Matt Black are playing afterwards.

Samantha thanked all who have donated and local businesses for their support and generosity.

She added: “It (mental health) is a topic that people sometimes don’t want to talk about.”

To sponsor Sam, click here.