As someone who has received support from AFS and is now a helpline volunteer, I felt great pride in wearing my vest. During the tough parts of the half marathon (7.5 miles of hills out of the 13.1 miles), I thought of all those affected or bereaved by another's harmful use of alcohol, drugs and gambling. I was running for all of them.

The experience allowed me to talk to people at AFS about addiction. I heard many unspoken stories, losses in a family, parents with alcohol addiction or friends who are still fighting to regain the path to normality. The stigma attached to addiction can be crippling, and this is where AFS's support is invaluable.

We got lost, we had covid, we had an infected toe, and were exhausted, but we didn't give up; we completed 516 miles on foot and in a tent.

I had to push myself beyond all limits to get as far as I did. Thank you for all the hard work you do at AFS. I was proud to be doing it for this Charity!

So few charities offer support to families dealing with addiction, often still something that leaves many feeling isolated. AFS was a huge help to me when I needed it, so it was amazing to be able to give something back. I've wanted to run 100km for a while now, and I hope my brother would be smiling to know I crossed that finish line having had the best day even when it felt tough.

Thank you for supporting me through a difficult time. I wanted to try to give something back, so I did a firewalk at the weekend to raise some money for AFS.