Mental Health Awareness Week will take place from 10-16 May 2021 and the theme this year is nature.

During that week we want to promote the Growth Company #ConnectWithNature fundraising challenge to get active and explore nature whilst raising vital funds for the Young Minds Trust.

Many of us have experienced the widespread feeling of anxiety and isolation surrounding the pandemic, which is why taking care of our mental health and well-being is more important than ever! 

Understanding the positive impact moving around and connecting with nature can have on your mental health and wellbeing, our Mental Health and Wellbeing Champions have created a virtual 7-day Group fundraising challenge to encourage others to get involved.

So what's the challenge?

We want this challenge to be as inclusive as possible so no pressure with how active you are and instead we just want to encourage you to set your own personal target on how active you want to be as part of the virtual fundraising challenge. 

You can do as little or as much as you feel comfortable with!

For instance, you could commit to a minimum of 5 km/45 minutes of activity (which is the equivalent of approximately 3 miles or 6,500 steps) a day for the 7 days. 

Whatever your fitness ability, this challenge is for everyone!

Track your movement however you like during the week through walking, running, cycling, skipping or dancing, it all counts! Different ways to get moving and get your steps in could include:

• Walking meetings
• Running/jogging
• Cycling
• Indoor exercise classes
• Hiking
• Dancing
• Skipping
• Gardening

To help track your activity and distance for this activity challenge, we've created our own GC Strava club. You can download the Strava App on your smartphone or connect Strava to your fitness watch to automatically log your activities or you can manually enter these to give an idea of how far we have travelled collectively:

https://www.strava.com/clubs/theGrowthCompany

Key reasons to join the challenge:

• To raise vital funds for the Young Minds charity
• To raise awareness around mental health
• For a good excuse to get off the sofa
• To improve your fitness
• To explore the outdoors

Will you join the challenge?

Thanks for taking the time to visit the Growth Company JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.