Mental Elf - Participants 3

Lancashire Mind’s eleventh annual Mental Elf fun run was its biggest and best yet – a sell-out event with more than 400 people running and walking in aid of the mental charity, plus dozens more volunteering to make the day a huge success.

The winter sun shone on Worden Park in Leyland as families gathered for either a 5k course, a 2k run or a Challenge Yours’Elf distance which saw many people running 10k, with the usual running gear replaced with jazzy elf leggings, tinsel and Christmas hats.

Now, the pennies have been counted and Lancashire Mind has announced that the event raised a fantastic £17,000. This amount allows it to deliver, for example, its 10-week Bounce Forward resilience programme in eight schools, reaching more than 240 children with skills and strategies that they can carry with them throughout their lives, making them more likely to ‘bounce forward’ through tough times.

The event was headline sponsored by Spar for a third year through its association with James Hall & Co. Ltd, Spar UK’s primary retailer, wholesaler and distributor for the North of England.

Organiser Nicola Tomkins, community and events fundraiser at Lancashire Mind, said: “On behalf of the entire team at Lancashire Mind, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the 400+ incredible participants who joined us for Mental Elf 2024!

“Your support, energy and commitment to raising awareness for mental health makes all the difference. Together, we’ve taken another important step towards breaking the stigma around mental health and promoting wellbeing for all in our community. We couldn’t have done it without you!”

Philippa Harrington, marketing manager at James Hall & Co. Ltd, said: “There was a lovely festive feel in the air at Mental Elf and we were delighted to see even more individuals, families, and canine companions taking part in its new home of Worden Park.

“We are also very pleased to see the uptake that Mental Elf has had in schools, and congratulations go to the Lancashire Mind team for taking it to new participants and for raising a fantastic amount of money for an important cause.”