Women’s hockey have raised £903 for the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH), following their successful Green Ribbon campaign.
The club’s welfare officer, fourth-year clinical psychology student Iona Gray, led the charge which saw around 35 university sports teams get on board with raising money and awareness for the cause.
SAMH has been Scotland’s mental health charity since 1923, and currently works within more than 60 communities with adults and young people across the country.
They provide mental health social care support, as well as services in primary care, schools and further education.
Last year, the club raised £390 with the same campaign. This year, Iona and her team put a lot of effort into raising awareness and money for SAMH, by selling green ribbons for athletes to wear on their wrists, in their hair, or even tied to their equipment.
Iona’s interest in mental health through her degree and her passion for helping people is what inspired her to take on the role as welfare officer, and run the campaign.
Last Thursday, October 10, was World Mental Health Day, which was a perfect opportunity for the campaign to highlight the importance of speaking out if you are struggling.
Iona told us: “Wearing the green ribbon creates conversations about mental health which are so needed, both within clubs and across campus.
“The role of welfare officer is so important in a club like women’s hockey, where we have more than 100 girls.
“My job is to keep in touch with committee and team captains, to find out if anyone isn’t coming to training, so we can reach out and ask the question, “is everything okay?”
“University can be overwhelming, especially for Freshers, but it’s about being there to talk through those issues.
“Being able to get something off your chest helps a huge amount.”
Sports teams at the University of Stirling have a proud history of tackling mental health stigma, demonstrated by the huge efforts from men’s rugby last year, who raised more than £11,000 for the Movember foundation.
And with November just around the corner, women’s hockey are excited to promote and support any and all upcoming fundraising events.
Fourth-year BA (Hons) Journalism Studies student.
News Editor, Sports Editor and Head of Proofreading for Brig Newspaper.
You must log in to post a comment.