Leeds United gets on board the Love Your Mind campaign

Posted Wednesday 29 June 2011

Leeds United Football Club has announced its support for the Love Your Mind campaign as it hits the city on 5 July. The campaign sees the mental health charity Mind tour the country with a double decker bus to raise awareness of the incredible mental health support that is available in local communities.  

The Love Your Mind campaign comes in response to new research from the charity, revealing that thirty percent of patients believe that their GP is unaware of local services to support their mental health recovery.The Leeds United squad will take a break from pre-season training to board the 'Love Your Mind' bus and kick off the Leeds leg of the bus tour, for day two of the six day road-show.

LUFC has long supported Leeds Mind, fundraising for the charity and helping to stamp out the stigma and discrimination that is experienced by so many people with mental health problems. This latest campaign will champion local mental health services and the team has jumped at the chance to show their support, encouraging fans to visit the bus as it comes to the city

Leeds United Football Club manager, Simon Grayson, said: The local community has always gone above and beyond to show its support for Leeds United and it is fantastic to have this chance give something back. Mind is a fantastic charity and we are delighted to be on board the Love Your Mind campaign as it comes to town.

We hope the tour will encourage local residents to start talking about mental health and will raise awareness about the incredible services that are available on our doorsteps.

Leeds Mind Chief Executive Nicola Swan said: We are over the moon to have Leeds United backing the Love Your Mind campaign. The club plays a pivotal role in the local community and, with their support, we will raise even greater awareness about the mental health services in our local area.

It’s essential that that people in Leeds know about mental health and are able to talk about their experiences – we hope LUFC will prompt all their fans to come down on 5 July and board the bus to show their support for the one in four people that experience mental health problems every year.

The 'Love Your Mind' bus will be in Leeds on 5 July, parked on Briggate from 11am to 3pm.

As well as national and Leeds Mind representatives, service users keen to share their experiences and local service groups hosting demonstrations, the Healing Voices choir will perform from the bus from 3.30pm.

Notes for members of the media

• The Love Your Mind campaign will take a Mind-branded double-decker bus to the following locations:

• Research: 358 out of 1,237 respondents (28.9%) to a Mind survey, May 2011


• Case studies, Mind spokespeople and celebrity and MP supporters available for interview. Please contact Camilla Swain
  T: 020 8522 1743
  M: 07850 788514
  E: c.swain@mind.org.uk
  ISDN line available: 020 8221 0817


• Interviews on tour and photo opportunities will be available


• Healing Voices is a choir that welcomes people with experience of mental health issues. They meet every Tuesday, 2pm - 4pm at Holy Trinity Church in Boar Lane, Leeds. Healing Voices is run by Jane Edwardson and supported by volunteer Pauline Courtier. It is a project managed by Arts and Minds in Leeds. The choir welcomes new members and regularly performs in venues across Yorkshire.

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