Signing off after another successful Lamp 5k

Many people across Leicester and Leicestershire got involved in this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week that took place from 15-21 May. A local charity marked the week by running its annual fundraising and awareness campaign.

Now its third year, the Lamp 5k campaign was run by staff and volunteers from Lamp, the Leicester-based mental health advocacy charity. The theme of this year’s Lamp 5k was ‘Climbing mountains for mental health’, highlighting that physical activity is good for your mental health and wellbeing. People in Leicester and Leicestershire were challenged to walk, run, swim, ride or take part in any activity to achieve the 5k distance, and raise funds for Lamp in the process.

Many events took place throughout the week, from a sold-out curry night at the Cuisine of India in Wigston, organised by Lamp Business Club member, Pete Martin Photography to a 5km walk around Braunstone Park preceding Lamp’s quarterly Business Club meeting at Winstanley House. A courageous bunch of Business Club members and event partners abseiled and undertook the high ropes challenges at the Leicester Outdoor Pursuits Centre, and a large number of the charity’s supporters participated in, and collected donations at a Saturday ParkRun at Victoria Park.

Cool As Leicester also arranged a 5km walk for supporters, friends, families and dogs (!), who all donated to Lamp’s 5k, starting from the Cradock Arms pub in South Knighton to Everards Meadows near Fosse Park.

Lamp also received support from local Leicester South MP, Jon Ashworth who ran 5km at Victoria Park with Lamp supporters, and from the Social Sixes entertainment venue in Leicester city centre who not only displayed collection buckets for the charity during the week, but also generously donated to the campaign.

Raising much-needed funds to support service users

In the end, fundraisers, donors and sponsors raised around £23,000 so far to support the charity’s increasing number of service users and carers who need mental health advocacy throughout Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

On average, it costs around £750 for Lamp to navigate someone through the complexities of mental health and to empower them to rebuild their life after experiencing mental ill-health. This shows how vital the funds raised by the Lamp 5k are to the charity’s service users.

Lamp thanks all campaign supporters

Richard Kotulecki, Lamp’s CEO said:

“The Lamp 5k challenge is our major annual fundraiser, so we’re so grateful to all of the individuals, groups, communities, networks, businesses, Business Club members and others who really got behind us this year, got involved, raised money and donated.”

CBA Business Solutions was the headline sponsor of this year’s Lamp 5k with Daly Systems as an event partner. Other supporters of Lamp 5k included:
• Barker Hughes
• Brooks and Co
• Cite
• Cross Productions
• Empire Finance
• Heather Philip
• Hollingsworths Solicitors
• HSP Financial Planning
• Imperial Roofing
• J D Alpha
• KCH Gardens
• Michael Cummins
• Michael Hill Partnership
• One Creative
• Pattersons
• Pete Martin Photography
• Purple House Clinic
• Rutland House Counselling & Psychotherapy
• Sandstar Communications
• Sarah Higgins Corporate Coaching
• Steven Mather Solicitor
• Torr Waterfield
• Trident