A mother-of-three has said she hopes to give something back to a charity which helped her during a tough period in her life.

Lisa Smith, from Great Hockham, will run the Otmoor Challenge to raise money for the mental health charity Mind and hopes to also show people they should not feel ashamed about their problems or speaking about them.

The Otmoor Challenge is a half marathon held between Oxford and Bicester.

Miss Smith will be running it with her sister Karen and will also be celebrating her 40th birthday.

The 39-year-old used the vital services from Mind to support her after she suffered problems following experiences in her past.

She said: 'I want to raise awareness of mental health problems because so many people feel it is something they have to deal with on their own. It is nothing to be ashamed about.

'I just want to give something back to this amazing charity. I know people who have used Mind for many different reasons it is not just myself. They are there to support everybody, from children to teenagers and adults.'

The sisters are hoping to raise at least £250 for the charity which in 2015/16 saw 16.7 million people visit its online sites and 61,862 people call its helplines.

Miss Smith is a keen runner, and although she had a baby just four months ago, has already been out on runs to train for the event.

The Otmoor Challenge will take place on Saturday, June 3 and the sisters will be supported by their families.

She said: 'I wanted to do something for my 40th birthday and for Mind. It is quite a long way. I am a runner and at the moment I have been going out for runs and doing 10kms. I am looking forward to it because it is for a good cause.'

Miss Smith added: 'Mind is an amazing charity which has helped many people close to my heart They help make you realise that what you are feeling is normal and they are just there to help.

'It is about time people felt free to talk about their problems.'

To sponsor the sisters click here

Miss Smith will also be raising money for Leeway which she said have been 'such amazing support' to her in the past and also continues to offer vital services to many people.

To sponsor her click here