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Mental Health Champion Update
Welcome to your monthly Mental Health Champion update. A friendly reminder to
check in with your own wellbeing and let you know about upcoming events.
We’re so pleased to share feedback from our recent events held in August. Our Run
& Talk on 17th August was the last, but one run in the woods from Bishopstoke
cemetery for this season.
We started off with an explanation of what run and talk sessions are and who are our mental health champions. After a warm up, we were off enjoying the woodland and spotting wildlife. Everyone had the opportunity for a supportive chat if they needed one. And what better way to finish the run than with ice-cream! The fabulous Marucci’s ice cream van met us at the end of the session, and we enjoyed a well-earned ice cream, whilst stretching and chatting in the queue - excellent multi-tasking!
Our inaugural Walk & Talk event took place on 13th August and started at The
Cowherds. It was a lovely shaded and relaxed walk around The Common, very
welcome on another 30+ degree day! It was also wonderful to see Alice who joined
the walk with her baby. We’re so pleased to offer a session that can include those
who may be on maternity leave, injured or just taking a break from running. These
events will be offered a couple of times a year, and details for the next one will be out
in due course.
Upcoming Events
Run & Talk
Monday 14th September 7.00pm
The Hub - Eastleigh
Join the regular Monday club run, meeting at The Hub for a Run & Talk with your
Mental Health champions. There won’t be woods or ice cream this time, but the
usual good quality and supportive conversation is guaranteed! The Run & Talk will
follow the usual club run set up with the offer of a friendly ear for a run and chat
and/or a safe space for a quiet run amongst others.
Everyone is welcome
This October England Athletics are celebrating 10 years of Run & Talk! We’ll be
celebrating too with events coming up in October. Watch this space!
You can find our upcoming events on the Facebook page, the weekly
announcements which are shared on WhatsApp and Facebook, our calendar, and the seasonal club run summaries, which are emailed as well as on socials.
Wise Women’s Words
Our club is full of wise and wonderful women, and for clarity, you’re one of them.
Each month we’ll share a members thoughts to the questions below - you never
know if this is just what someone needs to hear today.
This month we hear from the lovely Georgia Hollis
Reasons why I run? I started running after getting a place in the 2025 London Marathon raising money for the Royal British Legion, and quickly ended up absolutely loving it. The training was brutal, but joining Solent Running Sisters made it a lot easier, and made me feel a lot safer doing my long runs with a group. I love the feeling when I run and there truly is nothing better for my
mental health than getting outside. I’m now a huge parkrun fan and rarely miss
a Saturday morning at Southampton Common!
One way I support my wellbeing?
I’m a big advocate of “look good, feel good”, so for me looking after my skin is something super important. I really enjoy sitting down in the evenings with a face mask and a cup of tea to relax and unwind.
What mental health means to me? Mental health to me is taking the time to reset and unwind when you need it.
Please remember, there is support available. As Mental Health Champions we will
listen and support you, and signpost you to any relevant resources. The Run & Talk
Mental Health runs are facilitated to support the action of running with others without
any pressure.
We hope you can join us on one of our events soon!
Your Mental Health Champions: Gin Tidbridge, Clare World, Jo Culpin, Tracey Middleton, Rebecca Storer, Sarah
Beasley, Georgia Hollis, Jo Cartwright and Welfare Officer Karen Curtain.
*Further details on Run & Talks and a list of places you can go for urgent mental
health support Mental Health | SolentRunningSisters
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