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Martial arts and mental health go hand in hand. Many people get into martial arts simply to try and improve their mental health, make friend, socialise, release tension and stress…it all comes back to the same thing. Mental Health.  Having suffered personally with mental health issues, something that is still ongoing, I know the struggle. However when I was at my lowest, I had someone to talk to and somewhere to go where I felt welcome and was able to be myself without being judged for my shortcomings. Not everyone has this support. 

That’s where MIND comes in.  They believe everyone should receive the help and support that they need in order to better cope with mental health issues. This includes help and support via telephone, Legal advice and web based publications and information. They also lobby local and national government to help ensure that services are there for those that need them the most. Is it perfect? Nope. Because we shouldn’t even need a charity like MIND. In an ideal world everyone would get the help they need and MIND would not exist. But they do and they are needed, so here we are.

This year, Ronin Goju Karate, based in Morley, Leeds are fundraising for MIND. This first event is an epic one. Tony and Sarah Valentine will tour the country for 7 days, completing 26 hours of training with some of the best, most experienced martial artists the UK has to offer. We are karate practitioners, however, BJJ, kickboxing, Taekwondo and Aikido have all been offered to us as part of this. The words “Comfort Zone” will not be uttered for these 7 days unless its preceded by “out of our”.

We will personally be covering the costs of our transport, accommodation and meals during this trip, so everything you donate – goes straight to the charity. In addition to this, all the clubs we are visiting, have agreed to allow us to donate the usual class fee’s directly to MIND. The martial arts community is strong in the UK.

If you can spare £1, £5, £10 whatever – it would be much appreciated. If you need some inspiration – just imagine what an unfit 16 stone bloke will look like after 26 hours of very intensive training over just 7 days. Or, you could envisage the good your donation will do.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.