Local author to complete three 5km barefoot challenges to raise funds for mental health
Local author, Stewart Bint, will be raising funds for Lamp (Leicestershire Action for Mental Health Project) by completing three 5km walks barefooted during Mental Health Awareness Week from 9-15 May.
Stewart will face the added challenge of not knowing the full routes of his walks. The challenges are part of Stewart’s contribution to Lamp’s Trip to the Moon 5k fundraiser, promoting the positive effects of physical exercise on mental health.
He will commence his first challenge at 9am on Monday 9 May 2022, walking barefoot from the Rocket Tower at the National Space Centre along a route that will take him down the adjacent canal path. People can sponsor Stewart here.
Stewart’s walk will mark the official launch of the Lamp 5k event and he would like others to join him in completing two more 5km routes the following Wednesday and Saturday to cover:
- University of Leicester Botanic Garden at 11am on Wednesday 11 May
- Clarendon Park to Everards Meadow with the team from Cool as Leicester on Saturday 14 May – click here to book with a suggested £5 donation to Lamp
As a keen walker and advocate of good mental health, Stewart is using the Lamp 5k challenge as a metaphor for (mental health) advocacy. He said:
“The fact that I’ll be barefoot and don’t know where the journey’s taking me, symbolises the vulnerability and uncertainty we face on our mental health journeys; while being with other people on a Lamp event represents how we work together to support each other as individuals, and help received through advocacy.”
This is Stewart’s second attempt at the Lamp 5k challenge. Last year, he completed two 5km routes across fields, bridleways, gravel paths and urban streets, in bare feet.
“I’m honoured to support Lamp’s Trip To The Moon in this way, as I’ve been passionate about mental health after suffering a crisis in 1997, which led to me being hospitalised for 10 weeks,” he said.
Lamp is encouraging everyone to take part in a 5k or more physical activity such as walking, running, cycling or roller-skating, to collectively reach 384,400km – the distance from the Earth to the moon, and raise money for each kilometre covered, aiming for a total of £38,440. The funds will go towards supporting the charity’s services.
For details on Lamp’s 2022 5k Trip to the Moon challenge and to see how you can take part, click here.
Stewart Bint is a sci-fi, paranormal and satire novelist who is currently working on his sixth book which is a paranormal crime thriller with a strong Covid backdrop. You can learn more about the author here.
