First Give 4 Good Charity Event Sets Sail

RUSSELL ROOF TILES has launched its charity programme, ‘Give 4 Good’, with an epic SUP paddleboard challenge to raise money for mental health charity, Mind.

Pitched roof tile manufacturer Russell Roof Tiles recently announced its ambitious target to raise a £50,000 for good causes this year, with a project called Give 4 Good.

Russell Roof Tiles employs 140 people at two sites in Burton, and one in Lochmaben, Scotland.

Give 4 Good event

The Give 4 Good project is part of the firm’s celebration of 10 years of independence.

The first charity event sees a team of 8, paddling collectively 210 miles (the distance between the Russell Roof Tile Burton and Lochmaben sites), between March and June 2022. The team includes three who are complete beginners and all are staff or partners of staff at the roofing firm.

The team are paddling the waterways of the River Trent and canal close to Burton to raise money for Burton & District Mind. The local charity provides a range of counselling services and employability and tenancy services. Typically, they see 3000 people a year, but in 2022 they will need to support many more.

Health and wellbeing 

The Russell Roof Tiles SUP team is aiming to raise at least £2,000 for Mind and was the brainchild of its managing director’s wife at Russell Roof Tiles, Coral Hayward who took up the sport last year.

Coral Hayward said, “Paddleboarding is proven to help reduce anxiety and depression and a few of the Russell Roof Tiles staff members already enjoy SUP. With this challenge we’re combining a healthy sport which can really help with positive mental health to raise cash for a mental health charity which desperately needs funding. Our team is also being supported and trained by local expert, Dawn Smitten, Instructor and Owner of Burton Upon SUP.”

Coral Hayward and Lynne Barrell

Lynne Barrell, Chief Officer from Burton and District Mind said: “The pandemic has had a devastating effect on vulnerable people with existing mental health problems, with increased loneliness and poverty. But even more alarming, we have seen a rapid and lasting increase in people showing the tell-tale signs of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Furthermore, we are now seeing emotional burnout from frontline staff, carers and those key family members who have been looking after everyone else!”

Fundraising for Mind

“The generous commitment to fundraising by Russell Roof Tiles and Burton Upon SUP will enable Burton and District Mind to help even more people, supporting a growing range of projects, such as self-help groups and eco-therapy. These projects put people who are experts by experience of recovery at the heart of the delivery of mental health services, whilst helping their own personal development and employability. The fundraising will power the message across the community for the post-pandemic recovery: ‘Please talk, we are listening. You are worth the help and together we’ll find you help’.”

Andrew Hayward, Managing Director at Russell Roof Tiles added: “Supporting our local communities is a core part of our values, we are committed to supporting causes and charities important to our team and neighbours.”

The team has set up a Just Giving page for the event.

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