Whitebox are dedicated to helping our local community and this year have chosen to support Coastal West Sussex Mind.

“Coastal West Sussex Mind are an independent local mental health charity working in West Sussex. We offer mental health services, along with associated training and support. We also work in communities to raise awareness and challenge stigma and discrimination. Our services support young people, adults, older adults, carers and families affected by mental health problems.”

Why Mental Health

Mental illness affects 16 million people in the UK , that’s one in four adults. This ranges from anxiety and depression to alcohol dependence, substance misuse and psychosis.  75% of mental illnesses start before a child reaches their 18 birthday.

It can take a decade for many young people to receive help after first showing symptoms. Opportunities to help are often missed until they reach ‘crisis’, causing children to self-harm, become suicidal, be violent and aggressive or drop out of school.

Whitebox carried out a survey of our 2500 twitter followers, mostly tradesmen, and found that 67% have suffered with some form of mental health issue. The problem is massive and people, young and old, need our help now.

The Challenge:

Following on from last years successful fundraising for Sussex Community Foundation and spurred on by our Business in the Community Award the team at Whitebox will be embarking on their toughest challenge yet. A 1,085-metre (3560 ft) ascent of Snowdon in Wales. What, I hear you say? People climb Snowdon every day. So, to add to the challenge there is an important twist, we will be making the climb barefoot.

Arriving in Snowdonia on Friday 15th June 2018 the team will ‘wild camp’ overnight and embark on their barefoot climb early on Saturday 16th. 

Why barefoot?

Each of our feet contain 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Plus, the soles of your feet have over 20,000 nerve endings. In fact, there are more nerve endings in your feet than any comparable size on your body.

Our feet are the base for our whole body and by going barefoot, it allows you to ‘ground’ with the earth and absorb free electrons directly through the soles of your feet.  

The planet has its own natural charge, and we seem to do better when we’re in direct contact with it.

Walking barefoot strengthens muscles and joints within the foot and ankle, making you more stable, improving overall muscle alignment and increasing proprioception and balance.

Being more grounded also increases antioxidants within the body and boosts immunity. It reduces inflammation, stress and improves sleep. All these factors lead to a healthy brain. And a reduction in stress can help with some mental health issues.

Link to Mind’s page all about stress - https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/stress/#.WqZ1XOjFJPY

I ask you to join us in supporting this incredible charity and help many people overcome their mental health issues.

Please donate what you can, every little helps, really!