When you fundraise for mental health in the Northeast, you can do more than collect donations. You can help a local person find support, bring friends and colleagues into an honest conversation, and remind someone who is struggling that they do not have to cope alone. At Anxious Minds, fundraising helps sustain counselling, community support and recovery services for people across the region.

There are two straightforward ways to get involved: take on the Support Mental Health Challenge and ask people to sponsor your activity, or support the Mental Health Lottery, a monthly lottery that helps fund Anxious Minds’ work. You can choose the route that suits you, or take part in both. This guide explains how each works and gives you practical ideas for getting started.

Why fundraise for mental health in the Northeast?

Mental health difficulties can affect anyone: adults and young people, veterans and their families, people living with illness, those experiencing abuse or bereavement, and people facing poverty or isolation. Across the Northeast, many people turn to community organisations for a listening ear, practical help, counselling or a safe place to meet others. Early support can matter, particularly when someone is waiting for other services or is unsure where to turn.

Anxious Minds is a North East charity that provides mental health and wellbeing support in local communities. Its work includes counselling, the Veteran Recovery College, outdoor therapy, community wellbeing activity and practical support. The aim is to help people access support as early as possible and stay connected to help over time.

Fundraising contributes to the everyday costs that make this support possible: trained staff, safe spaces, activities, equipment and the running of community services. Every fundraiser also helps make mental health easier to talk about. A sponsored walk, workplace event or community coffee morning can create a natural opportunity to check in with someone, share information and challenge the idea that people should hide how they feel.

You do not need to be an experienced fundraiser, a confident public speaker or a long-distance runner. The most effective challenge is one you can take on safely, explain clearly and enjoy enough to see through.

What is the Take on Mental Health Challenge?

The Support Mental Health Challenge is Anxious Minds’ peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. You choose an activity or personal goal, invite people to sponsor you, and use the challenge to raise awareness as well as funds. The activity can be active, creative, social or quiet. The point is to get involved in a way that works for you and encourage open conversations about mental health.

Ideas include:

walking in your local area or exploring a new route
taking on a run, cycle ride or swim at a level that feels right for you
practising mindfulness or setting a daily wellbeing goal
hosting a tea party, coffee morning or dinner with friends
organising a team activity with colleagues
choosing your own challenge and inviting others to join in

You can make a challenge personal. Perhaps you will walk a set distance over a month, learn a new skill, give up a habit, or take a regular break outdoors. You could make it a team effort with friends, family, a sports group or your workplace. A small, achievable target is often easier for people to understand and support than a plan that feels too big to begin.

The challenge is also an invitation to talk. You might share why mental health matters to you, explain what Anxious Minds does, or simply encourage people to ask one another how they are doing. You never have to share private experiences to take part. You can keep your reasons personal and focus on supporting the charity.

How to take part in the challenge

Getting started is simple. Visit Support Mental Health Challenge and sign up. Then choose an activity, set a goal and tell people how they can sponsor you. The challenge site lets fundraisers share their activity and progress with supporters.

1. Choose a realistic activity

Pick something that fits your time, interests and circumstances. A 5K walk, a month of mindful colouring, a workplace breakfast or a sponsored swim can all make a meaningful challenge. If your activity involves exercise, choose a level that is suitable for your health and experience. You can adapt the goal as you go.

2. Set a clear target

A clear target helps people understand what you are doing. For example: “I’m walking 30 miles across October,” “Our team is hosting a community coffee morning,” or “I’m practising mindfulness for ten minutes a day for three weeks.” Set a fundraising target too, but treat it as a guide rather than a measure of your commitment. Every donation and every conversation helps.

3. Explain why you are taking part

Write a few lines about the cause and what you hope to achieve. Mention Anxious Minds and the support its services provide in the Northeast. Keep your message in your own voice. A sincere explanation is more engaging than a perfect slogan.

4. Invite people to support you

Share your fundraising page with friends, family and colleagues. If you are organising an event, ask a local business, community group or workplace to help with a venue, refreshments, prizes or promotion. Tell people how to donate and how they can follow your progress.

5. Keep supporters updated

Post occasional updates, such as a training milestone, a photo from your walk or a reminder about an upcoming event. Thank people who have donated or helped. If your plans change, let supporters know. A warm thank-you helps people feel part of the effort and may encourage them to share your page.

Fundraising ideas for groups, workplaces and communities

The Take on Mental Health Challenge can work for one person or a whole group. A workplace might organise a team step challenge, a dress-down day, a lunchtime walk or a staff tea party. Local clubs could set a shared distance target or host an open day. Families and friends might organise a sponsored activity together or take turns completing a small daily goal.

Community events do not need to be elaborate. A coffee morning, quiz, craft session, bake sale or informal wellbeing afternoon can bring people together and raise funds. You could include a short introduction to Anxious Minds, display information about the charity and explain how donations will support mental health services. Make the event welcoming and accessible, and let people know whether they need to book or bring anything.

For an outdoor challenge, plan your route, check conditions and tell someone where you are going. For a larger event, think ahead about accessibility, permissions, food allergies and any safety arrangements that apply. If you are collecting money in person, use the fundraising platform or the charity’s official donation route so supporters know where their donation is going.

The Mental Health Lottery: ongoing support through a monthly entry

If a one-off event does not suit you, you can support Anxious Minds through the Mental Health Lottery. The lottery website describes it as a monthly lottery dedicated to supporting mental health. It says that each entry helps fund services including counselling, crisis prevention and community support. The site lists entry at £10 a month, with automatic entry into monthly draws and the chance to win prizes. Please check the current terms on the lottery website before entering, as prize information and conditions can change.

The lottery offers a regular way to support the cause. Instead of planning an event or asking friends to sponsor a challenge, you can choose to take part as an individual. Your entry helps contribute to the wider funding that allows Anxious Minds to deliver services, while giving you the opportunity to win a prize.

You can find details and current terms at Mental Health Lottery. The lottery is for adults aged 18 and over and is limited to Great Britain residents, subject to its terms. Taking part is optional. Please only spend what you can afford, and use the lottery responsibly.

The lottery and the Support Mental Health Challenge are different ways to help. The challenge is a peer-to-peer fundraiser where you set an activity and invite sponsorship. The lottery is a paid monthly entry into a prize draw. Both are promoted by Anxious Minds to help raise support for mental health services, but people can choose whichever approach suits them.

Where fundraising can make a difference

Donations and fundraising income help Anxious Minds maintain services that offer practical and emotional support. Depending on current need and available funding, this work can include counselling for adults and young people, support for veterans and families through the Veteran Recovery College, outdoor activities that encourage connection and wellbeing, and community-based support that helps people feel less alone.

A fundraiser cannot determine exactly which service a donation will pay for unless a specific appeal says so. But fundraising helps the charity meet the costs of delivering support and respond to need across the region. A sponsored challenge also raises visibility: someone who sees your page may learn about a service, pass it on to a person who needs help, or feel more able to talk about their own mental health.

When you explain your fundraiser, be accurate and specific. You can say that you are raising money to support Anxious Minds’ mental health work in the Northeast. If the charity gives you a project-specific appeal or approved wording, use that information. Avoid promising that a particular amount will pay for a named item or service unless Anxious Minds has confirmed that figure for your fundraiser.

Tips for making your fundraiser successful

Start with what you can manage. A manageable goal makes it easier to begin and to keep going. You can always add a stretch goal if people respond well.

Ask directly and personally. A short message explaining what you are doing and why is often more effective than a general post. Give people a simple way to support you.

Make it easy to share. Include the fundraiser link, your target and the date of your event. Use clear images and short updates, and ask supporters to pass the page on if they can.

Invite people who are not able to donate. They may be able to volunteer, share your page, lend equipment, provide a venue or join your activity. Fundraising is a team effort.

Say thank you. Acknowledge donations and practical help. After the challenge, share the result and thank everyone who took part.

Keep wellbeing in view. Fundraising for mental health should be supportive and sustainable. Take breaks, adapt your activity if you need to, and avoid pressuring yourself or others. You can raise awareness without sharing personal details.

Fundraise for mental health in the Northeast with Anxious Minds

The Northeast needs community support that is compassionate, local and easy to approach. When you fundraise for mental health in the Northeast, you help Anxious Minds continue its work and bring more people into conversations that can make a difference.

You could take on the Support Mental Health Challenge by walking, swimming, hosting a tea party, setting a mindfulness goal or inventing an activity of your own. Or, if you are over 18 and eligible, you can explore the Mental Health Lottery as a regular way to support the charity. You might also invite your workplace, club or community group to take part.

Start by choosing one small step: sign up for a challenge, share your idea with a friend, or read the lottery terms. Then tell people why mental health support matters to you. Every conversation helps challenge stigma, and every fundraiser helps build support for people and families across our region.

Take on the challenge: supportmentalhealth.co.uk
Find out about the lottery: mentalhealthlottery.co.uk

Written and signed by Eddie Dean, Founder and Chief Officer, Anxious Minds (Registered Charity No. 1164040).