Clare Co-op staff team up for 10,000 steps challenge in support of Move for Mind fundraising campaign
Members of staff at a Suffolk supermarket are taking thousands of small steps towards supporting people with mental health problems this month.
Fourteen colleagues at the Co-operative store in Clare have committed to taking 10,000 steps every day for 30 days, as part of the Move for Mind campaign.
Their pledge is all to raise money for Mind, a charity which provides advice and support to people suffering from poor mental health, while campaigning to improve services, raise awareness and promote better understanding.
Emma Dye, Clare Co-op store manager, said: “We have encouraged the staff by putting a leaderboard on the window. The person who has clocked up the most steps each week will win a small prize.
“It is a campaign we are doing at Co-ops all over the country to raise a bit of cash to help Mind support people.”
Ms Dye said she has been running and taking long walks on her days off to hit the target, but added that she finds she can get close to the number just through her day job.
The 10,000 steps challenge began on Monday, February 1, and will continue daily throughout the rest of the month.
Staff are using digital devices to record the number of steps they have made each day, to ensure they have reached the target.
One of the Co-op team members, Olivia Kujawa, is running the equivalent of three marathons throughout April, with funds also set to go to supporting Mind.
Olivia, who is a second-year student at university and also volunteers with the Samaritans charity, will be running around three miles a day to achieve this.
Mrs Dye added: “We are trying to help our community in supporting the charity and also providing a friendly service, as coming here might be the only interaction they have in a day.
“We want to encourage people to get out and about to keep physically and mentally healthy during these times.”
Donations can be made by visiting Clare Co-op on Market Hill.
To support Olivia’s marathon effort, click here.