Lamp joins forces with National Space Centre to raise awareness of mental health issues

The National Space Centre in Leicester is teaming up with mental health charity, Lamp (Leicestershire Action for Mental Health Project) to raise awareness of mental health issues and support the charity’s Trip to the Moon 5k fundraiser.

The Lamp 5k will take place from 9-15 May 2022 during Mental Health Awareness Week. To support the campaign, the National Space Centre will raise awareness of Lamp and mental health. It will highlight and explore how space missions can affect astronauts’ mental health and well-being, and will also offer interesting tips that can be applied to our daily lives.

This includes producing a series of five videos that explore the connections between space and mental health through the themes of isolation and loneliness, training and planning for missions, nutrition and exercise, managing mental well-being, and support networks. The videos will be published daily on Lamp’s social media channels and uploaded to the charity’s social media channels during Mental Health Awareness Week.

In addition, the National Space Centre is working with Lamp to engage with local schools relating to space and mental health. Each school will take part in a 1km walk, with the combined total reaching 5km, demonstrating the importance of working with others.

For the Trip to the Moon 5k, Lamp is encouraging everyone to take part in a 5km or more physical activity such as walking, running, cycling, or roller-skating. The objective is to collectively reach 384,400km, the distance from the Earth to the moon, and raise money for each kilometre covered, aiming for a total of £38,440. Participants can take on any activity they like including swimming, rowing, walking the dog, competing in a triathlon or even completing an activity in fancy dress during Mental Health Awareness Week.

Local author, Stewart Bint, will launch Lamp’s Trip to the Moon campaign at 9am on Monday 9 May, when he will set off on his barefoot walk from the top of the Rocket Tower at the National Space Centre, continuing the walk outside of the building and alongside the nearby canal. He will complete two other walking routes during the week to raise further awareness and support the campaign.

Richard Kotulecki, Lamp’s CEO said:

“We are delighted to be working with the National Space Centre for the first time. By amplifying the messages around mental health well-being through these new videos, they will be adding a totally new dimension to the way we think about mental health. More importantly, we are grateful that the National Space Centre recognises the value that Lamp brings to our community and hope to continue this relationship for the benefit of our community.”

CJ Bishop, National Space Centre’s Community Manager added:

“The National Space Centre is proud to be taking part in Mental Health Awareness Week and supporting Lamp, a local charity that does such fantastic work providing support for those experiencing mental health problems and raising awareness of the support available within our city and county. The pandemic has highlighted the parallels between how astronauts cope with isolation, confinement and look after their mental health on a mission with our experiences back on Earth. Space travel can have a significant impact on your mental health, with many astronauts having experienced personality changes, anxiety and depression both before and post-mission. This can be alleviated by training and support. Lamp’s Trip to the Moon 5k challenge fits our core value of working together to help make a difference. We’re keen to get people talking about mental health and raise awareness of the support available from Lamp.”

Those who fancy learning more about the National Space Centre while getting involved in Lamp’s Trip to the Moon campaign are welcome to take a 2km trip around the Centre during Mental Health Awareness Week to help the charity achieve its target of reaching the moon.

To see how you can take part in Lamp’s 2022 Trip to the Moon 5k challenge, click here, log your 5km and download a fundraising pack.

If you would like to sponsor, fundraise or get involved in other ways, please email the charity or sign up to Lamp’s newsletter for regular updates.