Ultra-athlete, mental health campaigner and former Made in Chelsea star Josh Patterson has personal experience of suicidal thoughts and anxiety, motivating him to fundraise through several epic running challenges.
After experiencing suicidal thoughts and anxiety when he was younger, Josh Patterson is keen that everyone knows that support – from Samaritans, and other organisations – is available.
Speaking about overcoming his challenges, Josh said: “As someone who has been affected by mental illness over the years, I empathise immensely with each and every person that has faced such an objection in their life.
Luckily, I've been blessed that when I hit the lowest points in my life, I have had access to a support network to enable me to come through the other side. Sadly, this is not a reality for everyone and for me, that is not ok. It is simply unimaginable to have to face mental health problems alone.
Josh is on mission to change how society perceives mental illness, and inspire people to find their strength to achieve the impossible and as a running fanatic, on May 29th, 2021, he became the first person to run a marathon in all 4 countries in the UK in just 24 hours, raising almost £30k for Samaritans.
In 2023 Josh completed an even bigger challenge of running 76 marathons in 76 days – one in every city of the UK – raising over £320,000 for us and setting a new World Record.
On completing the feat, Josh said: “This challenge means the absolute world to me. I’m so blessed to have such an amazing team around me and so proud to be running for Samaritans.
It’s a much-needed cause and I’m hoping to continue raising as much as possible, there are so many people in the UK who are struggling right now, and they could really do with the help.
In May 2024 Josh had his first book published ‘Fortune Favours the Brave: 76 Short Lessons on Finding Strength in Vulnerability’, A collection of the 76 motivational and powerful lessons that fuelled Josh to reach the finish line of his 76-marathon challenge.
Josh continues to encourage people to open up and be honest about what they’re really going through on his social media channels and I did a Runna podcast.