Paddleboarding has boomed in popularity over lockdown, it has been an outlet for many to connect with nature and escape the constant news surrounding Covid-19 and restrictions. East of England Paddlesports are a growing community who promote their love of water sports and the great outdoors and the benefit of exercise and good mental health.
They have recently chosen to support Mid and North East Essex Mind by engaging their local community in a ‘Design a T-shirt’ competition to raise funds for the charity. The task being to capture their mantra ‘Be kind, Be careful, Stay safe’.
Oli Jordan, founding member of East of England Paddlesports, said:
“We now have a following of over 8,000 members on social media. We organise social events, courses, lessons, trips, and more recently fundraising for local charities. We decided that the link between the water and the positive effect on mental health was a good focus, especially in the current climate, so we decided to raise money for our local mental health charity Mid and North East Essex Mind”.
The limited-edition T-shirt proved popular and £225 was donated by Oli Jordan and Andy Large, who run the local group. Andy added “We’re a friendly, welcoming group and urge everyone to get out when they can!”.
Kat Rigby, Community Fundraiser at Mid and North East Essex Mind, said:
“As an independent charity, we are extremely grateful to East of England Paddlesports for their support and look forward to working together again in the future. Paddleboarding is a fantastic way to immerse yourself in nature and explore all of the beautiful surroundings we have on our doorstep.”
If you would like to fundraise for Mid and North East Essex Mind, we’d love to hear from you! Drop us an email at fundraising@mnessexmind.org or call on 01206 764600.
Left to right: Andy Large, Kat Rigby (Community Fundraiser at Mid and North East Essex Mind) and Oli Jordan.