“Several of our employees have been affected by suicide and other mental health struggles as most of us are ex-military who served in conflicts”
The team at Vipond Fire Protection Ltd. participated in Tough Mudder for Back Onside in July 2022. Here’s their story:
Three years ago, a valued team member took his own life. We lost a colleague, a friend, and an overall amazing guy. As I’m sure you’ll imagine, this hit us all hard, and we wanted to do everything we could to raise mental health awareness.
We decided that, as a company, we would do a fundraising event in our friends’ memory every year to raise vital funds and awareness for people and families struggling with mental health. We could see how much effort Back Onside put into helping others, so we wanted to ensure that our proceeds were donated to them.
11 of us gathered at Thornhill on 3rd July to take on a 10km Tough Mudder Race. We (somehow!) all managed to complete the course, albeit with a few sore muscles and VERY muddy faces. Not only were we doing this for a good cause, but it ended up being a really fun ‘team day’ – we had a great laugh.
Whilst undertaking annual fundraising challenges and events, we want to ensure that our workforce and YOU know that you shouldn’t ever feel embarrassed to speak about or seek mental health advice. In present times, mental health difficulties are more common than ever, but it really does get easier after you’ve made the first step.
So, if you’re a corporate business reading this, or an employee, we want to ask you to consider two things:
- Create an approachable and understanding environment to encourage open and safe conversations about your mental wellbeing – Back Onside can advise you on how to do this
- Undertaking a team or independent challenge for Back Onside – we promise it’s good fun and all for an extremely important cause.
And most importantly, speak up if you’re struggling. Don’t be ashamed.
To get your own fundraising pack or for advice and ideas, please contact Back Onside at info@backonside.com . You can also donate to this amazing charity via the following link: https://backonside.co.uk/donate/
What Fundraising Challenge will you be undertaking next?
