Miles For Smiles

A 50-mile run raising awareness on the benefits of activity on mental health. 3 members of the crew at Louth fire station are running between 4 different fire stations across the county. At each fire station, we will be running a little section whereby we are encouraging as many of the public to help us on our way as we can. We want you to run/walk/skip/cycle or any other (safe) means of travel by our side and encourage us on our journey. Then hopefully you too can see how much getting outside can boost your happiness. All levels and abilities are welcome.

Why are we doing this?

Well, in 2021 alone there were 5,583 suicides and of those 74% of them were male. This means that suicide is one of the biggest killers of young men. This is a stat we want to change and believe being physically active can help change this statistic for the better. There is still a huge stigma about men talking about mental health and that's why we're raising money for BroPro a non-profit organisation that provides a safe space for men to talk, socialise and receive help with mental health issues.

We believe activity too can help, it's social for one and a great way to meet new/like-minded people where strong relationships can bond and problems can be offloaded. As well as this there are the scientific psychological effects that activity has. Exercise decreases "stress" hormones such as cortisol and increases "feel-good" hormones like endorphins.

As well as this a recent local story caught our attention of a little girl suffering from cancer and after speaking to the family they have suggested we help raise money for PACT Sheffield. We want to help give back to the community and we believe this charity and bro pro, a non-profit organisation, are the perfect candidates and will use the money we raise well. Once all funds have been raised we will split the money 50/50 with each party. so 50% will go to PACT Sheffield and 50% to BroProUK (Louth) through the new life church project.