On Thursday 15 June 2023 members of Emmaus Hastings & Rother, including companions and staff, will be taking part in the Out of the Blue 5k race. The event has been running since 2013, when it was started in memory of a local man Will Beckett who sadly passed away through suicide. The race raises money every year for various charities, supporting a range of causes including mental health awareness and suicide prevention. To date, the race has raised nearly £100,000 for these important causes.
Sallie Quinlan, our Deputy Community Manager will be taking part in the race. She said: “We thought it was important to support a charity that helps so many important groups especially CALM (the campaign against living miserably). It’s the 2nd year a team from Emmaus Hastings & Rother have taken part and although running doesn’t come easy to some of our companions they are all committed to supporting this by taking part and giving it their very best. It’s a challenge for them and running helps their own mental health and doing something for someone else is a core part of the Emmaus principle.”
The link between homelessness and mental health issues is well known, with 8 out of 10 people sleeping rough in the UK being diagnosed with a mental health issue.* We’re really proud of our amazing Team Emmaus for taking part in the race and helping support these important causes. If you would like to donate please do so by visiting the Out of the Blue donate page.
Companion Bongo, pictured taking part in last year’s Out of the Blue race last year, said: “I’m well up for it! So dig deep and support us by donating to this great charity”
- Data from Crisis, click here for more information.