How to help this charity get to the moon for Mental Health Awareness Week

They're aiming to raise £38,000

People taking part in last year's Lamp 5k challenge

Mental health charity Lamp is trying to get to the moon this May after a successful trip around the world last year.

Lamp (Leicestershire Action for Mental Health Project) launched its major Lamp 5k fundraising campaign for 2022 today.

The theme this year is a ‘Trip to the Moon’ and will take place from May 9-15, as part of Mental Health Awareness Week.

Richard Kotulecki, Lamp’s CEO said: “We are aiming to bring the community together again in a creative way by inviting and inspiring the people of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland to power up, get fit and put one foot in front of the other in an effort to improve their mental wellbeing."

Lamp’s inaugural 5k initiative in 2021 raised over £8,000 to support the charity’s service users and carers with mental health advocacy throughout Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Over 1,500 people took part last year with many joining internationally via Strava, a GPS physical activity tracking app. The aim was to cover enough distance collectively to travel around the world once, but participants more than doubled that target by the end of the week.

As a result of the success of last year’s Lamp 5k Around the World initiative, the campaign won the Community Event of the Year Award in the 2021 Leicestershire Community Champions Awards.

With the Trip to the Moon challenge, Lamp is encouraging people to complete 5k or more of physical activity such as walking, running, cycling, or roller-skating.

They aim to collectively reach 384,400km, the distance from Earth to the moon, and raise money for each km covered, aiming for a total of £38,440.

Lamp with their Leicestershire Community Champion award

Participants can take on any activity they like including swimming, rowing, walking the dog, or competing in a triathlon.

“We firmly believe in the benefits of physical activity which serve as a shield against the harmful effects of the pandemic on our mental health and wellbeing and this is why we set up the Lamp 5k campaign. With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have seen a huge surge in demand for mental health advice and support," Richard added.

The main topic of discussion for this year's Mental Health Awareness week is loneliness.

Hinckley & Rugby Building Society is a sponsor of the event. Colin Fyfe, Chief Executive said: "The Covid-19 pandemic threw light on the plight of those people who suffer from loneliness and this initiative offers a way for people to release endorphins through exercise and mixing with friends and family, as well as supporting a local and independent charity which is committed to helping people from Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland to navigate the complex mental health maze."

To take part in Lamp’s 5k Trip to the Moon challenge, participants need to log their 5k and download a fundraising pack.

Those interested in sponsoring the event can send a direct email to the team on info@lampdirect.org.uk.