Walking together towards better mental health

A Tees Valley-based mental health charity is expanding its support with new funding. 

Red Balloons, which runs daily Walk & Talk groups, has received a £1920 grant from North East employer Banks Group to help provide refreshments after walks.

The charity, which recently expanded into North Yorkshire and plans to grow its presence in County Durham, offers free, peer-led walks designed to support those experiencing mental health challenges, attracting up to 300 participants monthly. 

Founded in 2017, Red Balloons also provides one-to-one sessions, peer support groups and an online messaging service for additional support.

Organisers say grant will enable participants to socialise over refreshments, removing financial barriers and encouraging ongoing engagement. 

Leigh Trimble, chief executive of Red Balloons, said: “Our focus is on promoting self-care and exercise to improve well-being and offer supportive, accessible and free services that make a real difference to the lives of people and families living across the area.

“The mental health benefits of getting physically active are well known, while the time that our members spending walking together helps to tackle the social isolation that can so often go with mental health challenges.

“We see lots of valuable new connections and friendships being built through our Walk & Talk groups, and meeting up for our walks at specific times and places often helps members get back into the type of routine that they need to start working or volunteering again. 

“Many of our members are facing financial struggles due to their mental health situations and can’t necessarily afford to buy refreshments after a walk, so being able to cover this off will encourage them to stick around for longer and reap even more benefits from the time they spend with their group.

“Finding enough funding is a real challenge for all charities at the moment and we’d simply not have been able to move this project forward without Banks’ generous support for our work.”

Kate Culverhouse, community relations manager at the Banks Group, whose community funds are independently managed by Point North (formerly the County Durham Community Foundation), added: “Red Balloons offers a brilliantly simple and effective way of helping people manage and address their mental health situations in a supporting environment that also impacts positively on their physical health.

“It’s great to see their reach continuing to grow and we’re very pleased to be supporting them as it does.”

Looking to promote your product/service to SME businesses in your region? Find out how Bdaily can help →