St Neots entrepreneur Alex Hughes organised a 24-hour event on Monday - known as the most depressing day of the year (Blue Monday).
His Speak Up Liveathon event was aimed at supporting local small business owners and entrepreneurs power through the day and speak up to look after their mental health.
Alex talked for 24 hours non-stop with small business owners, mental health experts, advisors, and the local business community, whilst completing challenges, sharing stories and giving advice on how to shift to a positive mindset in 2021.
24 hour speak-a-thon raises £5,000 for mental health
After the event Alex said: “The event exceeded every expectation I had for it.
“I’ve been completely blown away both by the openness of our incredible line speakers and the support from the Shifties community, many of whom stuck with me throughout the 24 hours.
“It is clear from all the comments and engagement we got that this discussion has really resonated with many and I hope it has encouraged more people to speak up and seek help.
“We will continue our fundraising drive for the rest of the month to help as many people as possible receive the support they need.”
Aly Anderson, CEO of CPSL Mind, said: “I was delighted to be involved in the Shifties Speak Up event. It provided a fantastic platform for positivity and resilience during challenging times, creating opportunities to give to others by sharing stories, experiences and wellbeing tips.
“The Covid-19 experience has been an emotional rollercoaster but sharing your feelings during such times really helps.
“We are extremely grateful to Shifties for creating the opportunity to help raise funds for our charity, to support a range of services across our communities, including out of hours mental health crisis support, community wellbeing activities, peer support, campaigns and training.”
Special guests joined the Liveathon including St Neot’s mayor, Cllr Stephen Ferguson, Danielle Bridge who is the founding director of ABC Life Support CIC and trainer at Mental Health First Aid England, local councillors, representatives from CPSL Mind and small business owners.
Cllr Ferguson said he was inspired by Alex’s creativity and during the live event, he said: “After talking to you, I suddenly realised there was this hub of creative people within St Neots and it’s been inspirational.”
Alex will be continuing to raise money for CPSL Mind for the next two weeks.
To Donate visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/shifties-speakup
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