Simplyhealth yesterday announced that the UK mental health charity Mind will be its charity partner for the Simplyhealth Great Run Series throughout 2018. Simplyhealth is one of ICMIF’s UK-based members.
Mind and Simplyhealth, through its #millionsmoving campaign, aim to empower millions of people in the UK to get moving and take care of their mental wellbeing through physical activity. In addition, the partnership aims to raise money for the charity through sponsorship from those participating in the various run events around the UK.
Romana Abdin (pictured), Chief Executive of Simplyhealth said “Looking after your everyday health isn’t just about pre-empting physical aches and pains; it’s about taking care of your mental wellbeing too. We heard so many stories last year of how important physical activity is to maintaining and improving mental health, which is why we chose Mind as our charity partner.
Evidence shows that getting active can have a positive impact on your physical health, but it can impact your mental health too – reducing the risk of depression by up to 30%, lifting mood and improving self-esteem*,” Romana continued.
As title partner of the Simplyhealth Great Run Series the organisation says it is aiming to get #millionsmoving and, in conjunction with Mind, actively champion the link between physical activity and positive mental health.
Romana said, “We’ve supported Mind at a local level since 2010 and believe that, through the Series, we can make a real difference in this critical area of everyday healthcare. Simplyhealth is committed to charitable giving and we donate 10% of our pre-tax profits to health-related charitable activity every year.”
As official charity partner, all participants for any of the Simplyhealth Great Run events without a chosen charity will be encouraged to run to raise funds for Mind.
Speaking on behalf of the Mind charity, Karen Bolton, Head of Community & Events Fundraising said “We are delighted Mind is the official charity partner for the Simplyhealth Great Run Series 2018. We know the positive impact physical activity can have on mental wellbeing so this partnership is a natural fit. Over the last four years, more than 7,000 Mind supporters have taken part in a Great Run series event and we hope many will return this year alongside the new runners joining Team Mind.
This partnership will help us to reach a point where anyone with a mental health problem feels able to ask for, and access, the help they need. Money raised will fund our vital work including our Mind Infoline, information and advice services, and our campaigning to secure a better deal for the one in four of us who experience a mental health problem every year,” Karen concluded.
The Simplyhealth Great Run Series – the UK’s biggest mass participation running series – features 30 events across ten cities including Edinburgh, Manchester, London, Newcastle, Bristol and Portsmouth.
