6 min read

Walk for Calm 2021 – back for an even bigger event this year, taking simple steps to promote wellbeing

This September, all the wonderful people of hospitality are invited to Walk for Calm, to promote better mental health and raise funds to support the work of leading charities Hospitality Action and CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably). Will you join us?

Walk for Calm is a fun, flexible event all about taking simple steps to promote wellbeing, getting out in the fresh air, moving your body and taking time to think, exercise, reflect and energise.

Back for a second year, the event is powered by mum, in partnership with Caterer.com, UKHospitality, Umbrella Training, The Caterer, Institute of Hospitality, Tonic Talent, Lexington Catering, AA Media, EXP101, Sixty-Eight People, HIT Scotland, HRinHospitality, Arena, Hoteliers’ Charter, Catering Scotland and Off to Work.

This is an event that is accessible to all ages and abilities, no matter what your fitness level. You can walk, wheel, run, skateboard, cartwheel or even pogo your chosen distance. The important thing is to have some fun whilst raising money and awareness for such an important cause.

Craig Prentice , Founder of Walk for Calm commented “I’m excited to bring Walk for Calm back for a second year to promote better mental health across our industry, whilst highlighting and supporting the great work of Hospitality Action and CALM.”

Craig commented, “There has never been a more important time for people to come together in a fun way to increase awareness of wellbeing and positive mental health.’

Mark Lewis is CEO of Hospitality Action, the benevolent charity for the hospitality sector. Established in 1837 the charity has offered vital assistance to all who work or have worked within hospitality in the UK.

“Hospitality Action offers lifelines to people who work or have worked in the hospitality industry and find themselves in difficulty. As you can imagine more people than ever have been in crisis, mostly financial, over the last 14 months.’

‘We received 20,000 emails asking for help in the first week of the lockdown and we calculate that Hospitality Action has helped approximately 5000 hospitality households since COVID first struck last March. By taking part in Walk for Calm you’ll be keeping active and engaged, taking care of your own mental health as you take care of others.’

Simon Gunning is CEO at the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), a leading movement against suicide. Every week 125 people in the UK take their own lives. And 75% of all UK suicides are male. CALM exists to change this.

‘We try to help anybody and everybody who finds themselves in crisis, with suicide prevention at our core. We campaign for personal and societal change, and we run a helpline from five to midnight, seven days a week which is free to call and staffed by professionals during lockdown. We took over 130,000 calls and visits to our website over the past year, more than double the previous period, so our services are clearly needed more than ever.’

The pandemic has had a profound impact on our lives and will continue to do so as more people than ever turn to CALM for support. By raising awareness and vital funds for our helpline services through this amazing event, we can continue to be there for whoever needs us, no matter what.’

For Craig the message is simple, “Please support and get involved however you can, whether that be through social media sharing, signing up to take part on your own or as part of a team with friends and family, or making a donation if you’re in the position to.’

What is Walk for Calm?

This is an event where you get active and get sponsored to make a difference – but with Walk for Calm you to do it your way! All ages, abilities and imaginations are welcome, just pick a distance from 10km to 50km and then run, walk, wheel, relay, skip, skate, pogo or even cartwheel your way through, whilst raising funds to support those struggling with mental health and wellbeing. You can go all out, or do a little bit every day!

Why not share your videos and pictures and tag #walkforcalm to spread the joy and the Walk for Calm word!

When and where is Walk for Calm?

Walk for Calm kicks off on World Suicide Prevention Day, Friday 10^th September and runs until Sunday 26^th September, and you can clock up your steps at any point during this time.

Plus, if you’d prefer to join an organised route with other walkers, there’ll be organised hosted walks taking place on Saturday 18^th September in London, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh. All organised walks will assemble at the designated meeting point at 9.30am for a 10am start.

When joining one of our organised walks, you’ll also get a free Walk for Calm branded t-shirt on the day!

To find out more, click on your chosen location or drop us an email.

Download our handy tips

What’s more, 18^th September is the new official National Hospitality Day – a nationwide celebration of your brilliant and resilient restaurants, hotels, pubs and bars. Show your support by dropping in to your favourite hospitality venues to celebrate with a well-deserved treat after clocking up your steps!

What will your fundraising achieve?

CALM and Hospitality Action work tirelessly to alleviate the challenges and barriers to people’s wellbeing.

Here’s what you fundraising will help them achieve:

For Hospitality Action…

£25 pays for an hour of telephone support. Providing a listening ear for those struggling with the impact of COVID-19.
£250 provides an emergency grant to cover essential costs like utilities and food following redundancy.
£100 pays for new interview clothes and shoes to help hospitality people get back to work following redundancy.

For CALM…

£8 pays for a lifesaving call on the CALM Helpline. So, £80 pays for 10 calls and £800 pays for …well you get the idea!
£5,500 pays for around a month of Helpline support.