Mental Elf: West Sussex Mind launches its first festive 5k community event

Carrie Howell, community fundraising lead at West Sussex Mind, in her elf hat

West Sussex Mind, the Worthing-based mental health charity, is hosting its first community 5k event, open to runners and walkers, as well as wheelchair and pushchair users.

Worthing mayor Henna Chowdhury will officially launch the Mental Elf festive event on Sunday, November 27, at 9.30am. People are encouraged to dress up as elves, although this is not compulsory.

There are medals for every participant, free goody bags for the first 100 people who sign up and there will be elf characters along the Worthing promenade route for children to spot to win prizes.

The idea is to raise vital funds for West Sussex Mind, which relies on fundraising and donations for much of its work and receives no funding from national Mind. The charity has seen a significant increase in demand for its services following the pandemic and this looks set to continue, with many local people experiencing stress and worry about the cost of living.

Katie Glover, chief executive, said: “We are extremely excited to be hosting our first Mental Elf event in the run-up to Christmas and we really hope that local people will get behind our charity in what promises to be a really fun event. It’s been a really challenging time for people’s mental health and Mental Elf is a great opportunity for us to raise awareness about our support and come together with the communities we serve.”

Sign up at westsussexmind.enthuse.com/cf/mental-elf-2022 and use the Enthuse sign-up platform to raise funds among family and friends. Every ticket sale and donation will generate vital funds to enable West Sussex Mind to support local adults and young people with their mental health.