Eager to take on a challenge, Megan climbed Everest Base Camp when she was 19. Having grown up working in pubs, and now trained as a person-centred counsellor, she sees running for WithYou as a way to pay back the two careers which have given her so much.
If you want to support Megan, you can visit her fundraising page - https://2025tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/megan-riley-6053d
Megan said: “I always like to set myself a challenge. When I was 19 I climbed Everest Base Camp and I recently got back from summiting Kilimanjaro. Running the London Marathon seemed like an amazing new challenge to set my mind to.
“I chose to run for WithYou for lots of reasons. Firstly because I grew up working in pubs, this was a chapter of my life I really enjoyed and it allowed me to do lots of travelling and meet lots of people. From working in hospitality I then went on to study counselling and become a qualified person-centred counsellor, a career I am so inspired by and proud of.
“Running for WithYou seemed like an amazing way to pay back two areas of my life which I am so passionate about and have given so much to me. I really do respect the work of this charity and all those involved. Bring on the marathon!”
Stephen McCulloch, executive director for marketing, communications and fundraising at WithYou, said: “We’re very grateful to Megan for taking on this momentous challenge. I ran the London Marathon for WithYou two years ago, and I know just how demanding it is. Doing it for a cause close to your heart shows so much generosity and strength.
“Every pound donated will go towards helping people struggling with drugs, alcohol and mental health problems. Just £16 can pay for a support session with a trained advisor via our webchat service - enabling people to get anonymous support from wherever they are. With your generosity we can continue to offer hope to those who feel there is none. When it comes to creating change, every step counts.”
WithYou is a leading drug, alcohol and mental health charity operating across England and Scotland. Each year we work with more than 100,000 people in over 120 locations, providing a free and confidential service without judgement to adults and young people experiencing issues with drugs, alcohol or mental health.