Employees sprint towards fundraising target | News | Macphie

Macphie employees have hit £8,000 in their fundraising efforts for the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH).

The business partnered with SAMH last year, prompting employees to take on muddy obstacle courses, run lunchtime yoga sessions and even give up some of their favourite things for a month – all to raise money for Scotland’s leading mental health charity.

Picking up the fundraising pace is channel product manager Zoe Smart who completed the Edinburgh Marathon, raising almost £1,500.

This was her first attempt at running a full marathon and she was delighted to finish in three hours and 57minutes.

Zoe said, “I’ve now run further than I’ve ever run before. I’ve had my ups and downs during training – both physically and mentally.

“But I used every ounce of the positivity and support my friends, family and colleague gave me to make it over the finish line.”

Awareness

As well as raising money, Macphie is using its partnership to raise awareness of mental health amongst its employees.

Over the last 12 months, it’s hosted information sessions with SAMH for employees, shared tips and advice on promoting good mental health and most importantly, provided clear guidance on where to go for help.

Zoe explains why she thinks this is so important.

“Mental health is something we should all be comfortable speaking about and I’m passionate about promoting the use of sport as a great tool for clearing your head,” she said.

“Like many others, I’ve dealt with stresses in life and running has always provided a form of relief. It’s given me the ability to focus on myself, making me a stronger person inside and out.”

Adding more mileage to their fundraising efforts, the team is preparing to take part in STOMP – SAMH’s biggest fundraising event at Murrayfield Rugby Stadium in Edinburgh.