Megan Riley, age 25, who is a newly qualified counsellor in Lincolnshire, is set to run the London Marathon this weekend to raise money and awareness for drug and alcohol charity WithYou. 

WithYou is a charity supporting more than 100,000 people across over 120 locations in England and Scotland that have problems with drugs, alcohol or their mental health. They provide a free and confidential service without judgement to adults and young people experiencing issues with drugs, alcohol or mental health. 

Megan has so far raised £1,313 of her £1,500 goal, saying: "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," says Megan. "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." 

To support Megan's fundraising effort, click here for her fundraising page.