Colourful fun run with a purpose On the 28th of September 7th Epsom Explorers took part in a fun run in aid of a local charity, Love Me Love My Mind, which resulted in an exciting evening of paint, slip and slides, a bouncy castle and smiles all round. Explorers were sponsored to complete the challenging course and all funds are going to support the work of this vital charity.

Earlier in the year, the group had chosen Love Me Love My Mind as their charity of the year as they believed it was a necessary part of their local charity and was spreading a positive message. Every year, the Explorer Unit choses a charity (in previous years they have chosen Water aid and the Meningitis research foundation) and then throughout the year they hold various events to raise money for the charity. In the past they have done quiz nights and bath pushes but this year they wanted to do something different. The fun run, which was planned by Phili Coley, consisted of an egg and spoon race, a potato sack race, a slip and slide, a paint throwing section and to finish, a bouncy castle slide. The evening was spent giggling, throwing paint and having fun all with the knowledge that each lap they completed meant more money was going to help fundamental work in the community.

Love Me Love My Mind, was chosen by the young people because they believed that the message the charity is spreading is relevant to today’s social media obsessed society. The charity, which focuses on improving the mental health of the local area, provides a variety of support services for people in need. They are based in Epsom, run entirely by volunteers and funded by grants and donations. Their mission statement is “To break down stigma and inspire understanding about mental health”. Their crucial work inspired the young people to think about their own mental health and what needs to be done to improve the health of the people around them.

Overall, the night was a success, the young people enjoyed the event, and everything went to plan. One of the explorers, 15-year-old Lara West exclaimed “the fun run was an exciting was to raise money for charity and I have never done anything like it before”. The group hope to hold more interesting and unique fundraising events in the future.