College students organise Kilwinning to Kilmarnock charity walk for mental health
Ayrshire College is organising its most ambitious mental health awareness event yet, in partnership with the Kris Boyd Charity, with a sponsored walk from their Kilwinning Campus to their Kilmarnock Campus in memory of Adrian ‘Lionheart’ McCallum.
The Walk4Lionheart is a 10-mile walking route starting from 10am on Friday 19 May and is open to everyone – from Ayrshire College staff and students to members of the public.
Organised by HND Fitness, Health and Exercise students as part of the College’s award-winning #PassingPositivity initiative, the event will take place during mental health awareness week and national walking month.
The sponsored walk will raise funds for three mental health related charities: the Kris Boyd Charity, Beautiful Inside and Out, and Megan’s Space. These local charities were nominated by the students as they know many people who have benefitted from their work.
The charity walk is named in tribute to Adrian McCallum - also known as Lionheart – who was an ex-student of the College and became one of the UK’s most loved professional wrestlers. Adrian was a fantastic ambassador of Ayrshire College and in 2019 he supported the College’s #PassingPositivity campaign with a personalised video message encouraging people to look after their mental health. Just two weeks later, he took his own life.
Friends of Adrian will be joining the Walk4Lionheart, as well as representatives from the three supported charities and other partner organisations. The HND students have been busy planning the walk - with help from college staff - working with external partners to make the event a major success and raise awareness of mental health issues.
This event is being supported by various services, including the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Rapid Relief Team and Sustrans, along with many others. Branding Hub has provided a large promotional banner and OnlySport has provided branded t-shirts for the event.
Plenty of famous faces have thrown their support behind the Walk4Lionheart and these will be posted on Ayrshire College’s social media in the run-up to the event.
#PassingPositivity started as a one-day event organised by Sport & Fitness students and has been transformed into a college-wide initiative that is embedded into the curriculum, spawning groups like the #BeAwesomeBeActive training sessions where HND Fitness, Health and Exercise students work with older adults on a one-to-one basis to help them exercise while dealing with injuries or age-related issues.
Ayrshire College has also recently started a new talking group at its Kilmarnock Campus, working with Men Matter Scotland. This takes place every Friday at 5pm and is open to the public.
Ayrshire College’s #PassingPositivity mental health initiative has received national recognition and awards for its fundraising efforts and awareness of mental health, particularly the benefits that physical activity can have on a person’s mental health.
Former Kilmarnock, Rangers and Scotland striker Kris Boyd said: “The Kris Boyd Charity and I are delighted to support another amazing event to raise awareness for mental health. This walk was scheduled to take place in May 2020, but this was cancelled due to COVID, however, the students still had a virtual walk. The virtual walk and social media campaign was amazing, and I know how much a difference this made, this walk will make even more of a difference.
“The Walk4Lionheart will bring many people together, there will be many people of varying ages, from different areas, different backgrounds, and it will be a great occasion, but most importantly, they will raise awareness of mental health issues and encourage those who may be going through a difficult time to seek the support that is available to them.”
Former Britain’s Got Talent winner Jai McDowall said: “Having been involved with the #PassingPositivity campaign for several years now, I have witnessed so many people, from many walks of life benefitting from this. I have worked with the #BeAwesome initiatives; #BeAwesomeBeInclusive and #BeAwesomeBeActive. Working with school age children, supported learning groups, and older adults, I have seen the joy this brings to the participants. Every one of these participants are awesome. The students are amazing with the participants, the genuinely care about what they are doing, they have created a great, fun environment where participants can take part in physical activity and enjoy themselves the same time.”
Lisa Mason, HND Fitness, Health and Exercise student, said: “On behalf of my class, we want to encourage everyone to support the Walk4Lionheart - Walk for Mental Health.
“As part of our course, we must organise an event. We could have opted for something relatively straight forward to pass the course, however we wanted to do something that will have an impact, to make a difference, something that could help others.
“The #BeAwesomeBeActive initiative develop skills which will help us pass our course and prepare us for industry, but the reward that matters is seeing the difference we make to our clients, The difference in their physical wellbeing is measurable, but what is visible is the improvement in their mental health.
“We see how much they enjoy participating in this initiative, they come in early for a coffee, they stay for their lunch, they come in days out with the programme.
“The social aspect of this is as important as the physical aspect. Physical activity is important, but so is communication, companionship, a sense of belonging and achievement.
“As part of our course, we have made a difference to 24 ‘older adults’, as part of Walk4Lionheart we will have an even bigger impact. Please support this and encourage others to do likewise.
“We are HND Fitness - we are Passing Positivity.”
Anyone looking to join the Walk4Lionheart can sign up at this website.
21 April 2023
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