University of York raise over £20,000 by creating and taking part in a charity walk for mental health

The Great York Walk is the University of York’s new charitable event designed to raise awareness for and tackle mental health for staff, students, and the wider community. The walk took place on the 12th of October 2019, and is looking to be an annual event.

Walkers completed a 25 mile walk through historic York and the surrounding countryside, ending at Campus West.

The money raised by the walkers will be used to support Mentally Fit York, the university's new fund that aims to support groundbreaking research and transforming the way mental health is viewed.

Sabbatical Officers Steph Hayle and Giang Nguyen were both present at the walk.

How Mentally Fit York aims to use the money

Mentally Fit York will dedicate parts of the money raised towards yearly scholarships worth £2,000 for mental health nursing students from low income backgrounds. This is part of an accessibility scheme to allow higher education for students who would otherwise be unable to source the fees for university themselves.

The fund is also using the money raised to equip students with the tools, skills, and confidence they need to spot mental health issues early. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) courses will be provided to students as a result of this to guide people to the support they need.

In a powerful statement, Barry Wright, a professor of child mental health says:

'We need to understand mental health problems as a society better. Whether we are experts or not we do need to be able to talk to each other about emotions and support each other. We all have a role to play.'

Congratulations to all walkers involved!

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