Across the 30th September & 1st October, myself and a few Aberystwyth University Football Old Boys will be taking on the incredibly challenging feat of 'Everesting' Snowdon. The term Everesting takes its name from the highest mountain in the world, and the premise is simple: find a hill (in our case Snowdon) and ascend and descend, climbing a total of 8,848 metres (the elevation of Mount Everest).

Mount Snowdon stands at 1,085m, meaning we'll need to summit the mountain an eye watering 9 times in 48 hours...! to achieve our goal. 

This brings me onto the 'why?' - We're putting ourselves through this ordeal to raise money for MIND - the mental health charity & raise awareness of the tremendous toll the COVID pandemic has had on the UK's mental health. Ongoing research by the Mental Health Foundation highlights the impacts of the pandemic, even with the opportunity to socialise more, the data suggests that people have slowly lost their ability to cope with the stress of the pandemic since the first lockdown last March. 

Those with pre-existing mental health diagnosis appear to have been impacted the most, with 80% of this group advising they were coping well with the stress at the start of the COVID pandemic, compared to 58% as of July 2021. Their study has also shown that suicidal thoughts have become more prevalent across the year and are increasing amongst the most vulnerable groups despite the easing of restrictions.

It’s due to this impact we are fundraising for MIND, because nobody should face a mental health problem alone, and we need your help to make that happen. MIND gives people a way forward, helping them to understand their options and get support and know that they’re not alone. In addition, MIND are campaigning for better services and support so people experiencing a mental health problem get the help they need, when they need it.