Duo brave a bungee jump for mental health awareness
Rhasan and Grace took a plunge this summer to spread mental health awareness in a tandem bungee jump on 14 June. The pair raised a total of £367 for SANE.
The importance of mental health
We asked Rhasan why he chose to fundraise for people with mental illness. He says, “Mental health has always been important to me. Family members have been diagnosed with mental illnesses that have imped on their lives. They have required a lot of support and care throughout their lives.”
“Also for me, I noticed how, through lockdown, many people, including myself, experienced a lot of psychological difficulties; stress, depression, hopelessness, and feeling stuck.”
The NHS has been under a lot of pressure to provide mental health support. Still, as the number of people with mental illness has increased significantly since the beginning of the lockdown, many people cannot always receive the help they need in time. It was the case with Rhasan.
He explains, “I went through the local council to try to access a counselling service. But I was told there was a high influx of others also wanting to access the service, and it would take me time. This made me understand that there were many people in my situation. Perhaps the mental health services are severely stretched.”
Fortunately for Rhasan, he was able to maintain good self-care, improving his mental health. “I decided to apply better self-care for myself to overcome my low-moods and depression; go to the gym, write in a journal, plan for the future, and spend time with loved ones. But also, I’d do an activity that I enjoyed, would help others and would be with a friend.”
Braving a tandem bungee jump for SANE
That’s when the idea of fundraising for SANE came about, thanks to his friend Grace. “Myself and Grace planned a sponsored tandem bungee jump together. It was Grace who suggested we’d fundraise for SANE, as she had volunteered with them previously. After researching all the amazing things they do for people, she more than had my backing.”
Volunteers are trained by SANE mental health professionals. We are very grateful to be able to provide our services to people with mental illness and would like to take this opportunity to thank Grace for volunteering at SANE in the past.
Rhasan says, “To raise awareness for mental health and the work SANE does has been a huge honour and great experience overall. Because government services are severely stretched and unable to accommodate everyone, people who are struggling are going to be lost through the cracks and could further suffer without the right support and charities like SANE.”
If you’re inspired by this dynamic duo check out our Events page and get involved today!
