Why now more than ever you should do your bit
I think we can all agree that the pandemic has well and truly changed people’s outlook on life, whether it’s focusing more on achieving that work-life balance to prioritising health and fitness goals. For me personally, it really hit home just how important it is to support other people and to give back to the community, especially during challenging times. In this blog, I’ll discuss why it’s so important now more than ever to support local charities.
Why is charity support so crucial?
During the pandemic, I trained and volunteered as a Befriender for Leeds Mind and at a very stressful time personally (redundancies, NHS front line family along with a postponed destination wedding multiple times) I can say that volunteering was truly what got me through each day. It was the most rewarding experience I’ve ever had and it was an honour to work with such a fantastic team of people. Knowing I was having a positive impact on someone’s day simply through a phone call each week meant the world and provided so much satisfaction.
The global impact of Covid has hit mental health services incredibly hard. According to a recent study, ‘Cases of anxiety and depression around the world increased dramatically in 2020, researchers have found, with an estimated 76m extra cases of anxiety and 53m extra cases of major depressive disorder than would have been expected had Covid not struck’.Charities and supporting services have never felt the strain so much.
Unfortunately like many charities, the majority of these life-saving services rely heavily on funding and with Covid cancelling all pre-planned fundraising events, the service could no longer afford to keep running throughout the second lockdown during a time when it was needed most. Knowing first-hand what detrimental effect this would have on so many vulnerable people made me want to do as much as possible to help.
After highlighting the issue and introducing Leeds Mind to Punch, with the backing of all three company directors, as an agency we have appointed them as our chosen charity to support for the next year. At Punch, we are holding monthly fundraising events and challenges that we can do as a team to raise money to support Leeds Mind’s life-changing services. We’re also providing pro-bono design support to assist with branding and advertising, along with running social media workshops to support building their online presence.
Getting started
Fancy getting involved? Here are a few reasons why you should encourage your team to support a local charity.
1. Teamwork makes the dream work
Agency fundraising events are a really easy way to get the team reunited and back together again post lockdown. If you’ve made recent hires, it’s also a great opportunity for everyone to socialise and get to know each other in person at long last! It’s the perfect way to boost team morale too.
2. Doing good for others does you good
It really does! Aside from the fun social aspect, it’s such a mood booster knowing you’re making a positive difference with the challenges you’re taking part in. Fitness challenges, especially, are also great for your own personal health and wellbeing – win win.
3. It’s great for motivation
Knowing you’re working towards a goal or challenge for a great cause is a real game-changer and so inspiring. We had a rainy week during our first steps challenge which didn’t make long walks after work super appealing and in normal circumstances, we’d have all chosen Netflix instead, however having that goal in mind kept us all moving.
Our first challenge was the 600 Miles for September 600 Miles In September – Leeds Mind and we smashed it. As a team, we completed a whopping 2,400 miles in total and raised £1,000. Everyone really enjoyed taking part and the competitive element really upped the ante!
For us, this is only the beginning! Stay tuned on our socials for updates on our latest fundraising events and please support us in raising money for better mental health here: Punch Creative is fundraising for Leeds Mind (justgiving.com)