Sponsored walk helps raise money for Wakefield mental health charity
Over 70 people have taken part in a sponsored walk at Pugneys Leisure Park in Wakefield to raise funds for local mental health service, Positive Thinking; a drop-in service for local people with mental health problems, providing a support network for those needing somewhere to go and talk.
Participants on the 2.5k walk included the founders and members of the Positive Thinking group. They were joined by people who use the services of national learning disability charity, Choice Support, as well as staff from the charity. Choice Support has been working in the learning disability field for 25 years providing care and support to adults with learning disabilities living in the community.
The two charities joined forced to raise the profile of the Positive Thinking service and raise funds to enable it to continue helping local people.
Positive Thinking has been running for 18 months and has been supported by South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which provides NHS mental health and learning disability services to local people.
People who took part in the event, many in wheelchairs, went at their own pace with some completing the distance in 30 minutes and others taking just over an hour. The theme of the walk was ‘Cowboys and Indians’ which added a fun element as walkers got dressed up for the occasion.
Dawn Bland, one of the founders of the Positive Thinking drop in service said, "Everyone was delighted to be there to help us raise money and we are really grateful to them for all their support. It was such an enjoyable day and I can’t wait to find out how much we’ve raised. "
Support workers for Choice Support, Vicky Wright and Kayleigh Thorpe organised the walk. Vicky said, "The walk gave everyone who took part such a buzz and was really worthwhile. People who use our services loved dressing up and getting involved in something so positive. Choice Support decided to support Positive Thinking after reading about the valuable service it offers. Knowing that many of our service users experience depression themselves, we decided it would be a very worthy cause. "
The Positive Thinking group meets weekly. To find out more call Dawn Bland on 07906486643.