A DALMELLINGTON dad is running 1000 miles to change to way people see and think about mental health.
Jim McClung, 49, will be running the astonishing distance on his 50th birthday for his daughter, Margaret.
He had not seen his daughter 27 years after family circumstances kept them apart, but instantly recognised that she was struggling with her mental health.
Margaret had experienced anxiety since she was in school and eventually developed an eating disorder, linked to the death of her grandparents.
After seeing the stigma around mental health stopping Margaret from telling anyone what was going on, Jim decided that he wanted to do something to get people talking.
Jim, with his daughter, ran in the Edinburgh Half Marathon on Sunday, May 28.
He said: “A couple of years ago I met my daughter for the first time in 27 years. Having met her and talked to her I knew that physically and mentally she was unwell.
“It was really difficult for Margaret to speak about it, she was worried that she would be seen as an attention seeker so I told her she could speak to me.
“From there we got her to her GP. She was experiencing a few things, but was struggling mainly with her eating.
“Margaret is a very clever girl but she has had a lot of problems through her life.”
Margaret added: “Seeing my dad after that length of time was good, but I was really nervous. For a long period I had thought I was fine and no one would notice I was unwell, but he saw straight away that something wasn’t right.“
Margaret is now in recovery, and has started joining him on runs.
She said: “I have felt better in myself this year and better about running. I’m feeling really positive about doing it and it is something to focus on and it is really good for me and dad to do stuff like this together.”
Calum Irving, See Me director, explained: “Jim and Margaret’s story shows how important it is that we are all confident speaking about mental health. It only takes one person to make a difference and get someone the help they need. We all have mental health, so we should all be able to speak about it and support each other.”
Donate to Jim's fundraiser at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/James-Mcclung2
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