Celebrities take to the hills for the Mind 3000s
Today Mind has revealed Gail Porter, James ‘Arg’ Argent, Nicholas Pinnock and Emma Crosby will join TV presenters Matt Johnson and Anna Williamson for the ambitious Mind 3000s, trekking through the night in perilous conditions to raise £50,000 for mental health.
On May 16th two teams of 24, comprising the celebrities and some of Mind’s supporters, will go head-to-head to complete a nonstop 24 hour, 50km trek, across 3,000ft mountains. Matt will captain Team Wales and attempt to tackle the heights of Snowdonia. He will be joined by TOWIE star Arg and actor Nicholas Pinnock, star of hit Sky Atlantic series Fortitude and currently winning rave reviews at the Bush theatre in The Royale. .
Meanwhile, Team England, captained by Anna Williamson and including Denise Welch, Gail Porter and news presenter Emma Crosby, will attempt the same feat in the Lake District. The teams will compete to complete the gruelling expedition in the fastest time and to raise the most money.
All celebrities and members of the public have very personal reasons for taking on this unique challenge, many having experienced their own mental health battles or having lost loved ones to suicide. Collectively they have set the ambitious target of raising £50,000 for Mind, to help the charity meet the 50% increase in demand for the Mind Infoline seen in the last two years.
Gail Porter, who has famously spoken out about her own experience of depression, said:
"A mental health problem can be indescribably scary – when suddenly faced with the prospect of doctors, hospitals, medication or therapy – you can feel totally alone. When I hit rock bottom it was the kindness of friends and family that got me through and I feel passionately that everyone deserves that support, to be listened to and reassured when the rest of your world has been turned upside-down.
I’m terrified of heights and the thought of walking for 24 hours solid is horrendous. However through the Mind 3000s we hope to make £50,000 that Mind desperately needs for services like the Mind Infoline, which receives over 73,000 calls for help every year. Thanks to this ridiculous challenge Mind will be able to do more to support the many people who need them, and that fact alone makes it worth every step."
James Argent, who recently returned to The Only Way is Essex after recovering from a period anxiety and depression, said:
"Over the past few months I’ve realised how important it is to have support around you when you’re going through a tough time. Simple things like a call or a text can make a massive difference.
I know not everyone has that support, or feels they can talk to their family or mates about what they’re going through – but that’s exactly why Mind is here. In the last two years calls to their Infoline have gone up by 50%, showing just how many people rely on them. However, the charity can’t cope with this huge demand and needs more people to answer those calls – for this it needs your donations.
Things have been hard for me lately but I feel exceptionally lucky – I have come through the other side with the love and care of those close to me. Now I want to help make sure other people can do the same. Smashing our £50,000 target through the Mind 3000s will do just that!"