#UKCharityWeek: Salford Erasmus staff in fundraiser for mental health charity

Two members of the the Salford Erasmus team have set up a fundraiser in order to raise money for mental health charity SANE.

Alessandra Poti and colleague Inez Janna Summers will be walking 13,000 steps a day in December to raise awareness for the ongoing mental health crisis and to highlight the importance of keeping active.

SANE are an official partner of UK Charity Week, which always runs on the first full week of December and is the time of year when people are the most giving to charities.

It’s #UKCharityWeek and #charitytuesday! Please make a small donation to support our cause! Find out more at https://t.co/uxwoFbKLzt @charitySANE @JustGiving @UKCharityWeek #MentalHealthAwareness

— Salford Study Abroad (@UoS_StudyAbroad) December 4, 2018

Making a difference

Miss Poti, who works as an International Projects Assistant with Erasmus, thinks keeping up with the steps is challenging but is rewarding.

She said, “The weather is awful and sometimes it is a bit of a struggle. We spend our work day sat at our desks, so we try and force ourselves to get up every couple of hours.

“I think doing something for charity is definitely something to commit to as it will make you feel great knowing you are doing something for other people.”

The pair are currently six days into their fundraiser, and have raised £205, meaning they are well on their way to achieving their target of £500 before the new year.

Miss Poti said they chose 13,000 steps as part of their fundraiser as they wanted to step up from a usual charity event, where 10,000 steps a day is usually the target.

“I remembered seeing a 10,000 step challenge last year to raise funding for cancer research.

“I thought we could do even better by walking 13,000 steps, which will also help burn the extra Christmas calories!”

Mental health issues are also on the rise for young people as stress and money are predominant factors affecting millions of people.

You can donate to their fundraising by visiting the following link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Alessandra-Poti