Hospitality urged to get active and raise money for mental health crisis line

The hospitality industry is being encouraged to get active during the third national lockdown and raise £10,000 to fund a sector-specific, text-based mental health crisis service.

The Burnt Chef Project, a non-profit social enterprise launched in 2019 to challenge mental health stigma within hospitality, has launched a Get Active for Lockdown Challenge to encourage those facing a sedentary lifestyle due to the latest lockdown to get up and moving in aid of a good cause.

The organisation aims to launch the free 24/7 text service to those in the industry who may feel anxious, stressed, depressed, suicidal or overwhelmed and who need immediate support.

The service will cost approximately £10,000 per year to run and it is hoped that an initial £10,000 can be raised to fund the first year of the service at a critical time for the industry.

The challenge will involve people running, walking, cycling, rowing or any distance-based exercise and contributing those 'miles' to a total of a 2,148-mile ‘tour' around many of the UK's Michelin restaurants over eight weeks.

Starting at the most northern point in Skye at the Loch Bay restaurant, the challenge will virtually travel the length of the UK, finishing at Paul Ainsworth's No 6 restaurant in Padstow.

Individuals can track the overall progress of the tour via the My Virtual Mission app. The challenge will launch on 18 January and pre-registration is already open here.