1,000-mile charity challenge set to raise vital funds for mental health

Local mental health charity, Norfolk Clubhouse, has set a summer challenge for local people and businesses to get involved and raise vital funds.

Norfolk Clubhouse is aimed at ensuring that people with long-term mental health issues can find the support, belonging, and opportunities they need to move forward with confidence.

The charity’s challenge involves everyone lacing their boots or trainers and walking 1,000 miles in one month. This can be tackled as a group of friends or family, but the charity is also encouraging local businesses to get involved.

There are many benefits for businesses that support local charities:

It strengthens personal values and what means most to businesses
Gift Aid helps businesses ensure that their donations are boosted and not reduced by tax
It builds strength in the community

It also impacts how the public perceives a business. A YouGov poll carried out by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) found that nearly half (47%) would be more inclined to work for a business that donates to charitable causes, and over half (56%) said they would be more likely to buy a product or services from such an organisation.

And more than two-thirds (69%) of the public believe that businesses have an obligation to support the local communities in which they operate.

Money raised from the 1,000-mile challenge will go directly towards supporting adults living with long-term mental health issues at Norfolk Clubhouse’s Norwich and Watton hubs. Tabby Farrar, Norfolk Clubhouse trustee, says: “If £1,800 is raised between teams, that’s enough to run both the Norwich and the Watton hub for an entire month.”

The money will also be used to expand the services offered by Norfolk Clubhouse, with a particular focus on activities that support mental health recovery and the development of skills and social bonds:

Every £90 raised covers the cost of a full-day activity session with a qualified sessional worker, spanning anything from healthy cooking and sustainable gardening to workplace skills
For 2025 and into 2026, Norfolk Clubhouse hopes to raise enough additional funds to invest in laptops and furnishings for a new office skills training room at their Norwich hub

People can use their own trackers to log those steps, and then use JustGiving to create their own page for managing donations – visit the Norfolk Clubhouse JustGiving page and hit ‘Start fundraising’.

And businesses or individuals are encouraged to document their progress on social media. Use #1000MilesForNorfolkClubhouse to share and join in the fun.

Visit Norfolk Clubhouse’s website for more information about the services it provides.