Belinda Collins, a Funeral Arranger from Dawlish's Co-op Funeralcare Home, is in training for a half marathon this autumn to raise money for the mental health charity, Mind.

She will be joining two colleagues from the Totnes and Torquay branches to run the Torbay Half Marathon on Sunday, September 12. Sam Ritchie is a Funeral Director at the Totnes branch, and Mike Chidgey is a Funeral Director in Torquay.

None of them have run in a half marathon before, but they're enthusiastic about the prospect of taking up the challenge and fundraising for a cause that has become particularly relevant during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Belinda said: "Mind is a great charity to be raising money for – Sam, Mike and I will be working hard running those training miles over the summer but it'll be worth it – looking forward to reaching the finishing line at our race in September!"

Mike said: "I wanted to lose weight and get fitter. Belinda asked if anyone fancied giving the half marathon a go, and I thought this would be the perfect way to challenge myself and have something to aim towards. I'm training hard and looking forwards to September. Supporting a great charity like Mind was the icing on the cake."

Sam said: "We have all started training this month and it's going well so far. We're all fairly new to running, but excited by the challenge to help raise awareness and money for mental health charity, Mind. It's a cause that is very close to Co-op's heart and carries out amazing work in communities across Devon and beyond."

The half marathon will start on Paignton beach and take the runners to Torquay and back again.

The team has set up a JustGiving page to encourage customers and the general public to make donations to help the one in four of us who experience a mental health problem each year.

Research released by Co-op Funeralcare and YouGov last month indicated that the pandemic has changed the nation's attitude towards grief and death, as the tragic events of the past year have made 22% of UK adults feel more comfortable in talking about grief and encouraged 54% to think about their own mortality.

Although grief isn't a mental health problem, bereavement can have a significant impact on mental health. Sadly, 28% of those who lost a loved one unexpectedly said the unforeseen nature of the loss had a negative impact on their mental health.

Before the second UK lockdown, 77% of UK adults felt they had enough support around them from their friends and family should further lockdown measures be announced. However, just 6% felt they had the right amount of support during the third UK lockdown, with 48% stating they found the third lockdown worse than any of the other previous UK lockdowns.

Sam Tyrer, Managing Director of Co-op Funeralcare, said: "It's important that we take time to reflect on the devastating impact the tragic events of the past year have had on the nation. Communities have experienced loss on a previously unimaginable scale, so it is crucial for us to ensure adequate support is available as society begins to enter a new normality."

Since October 2019, Co-op has partnered with Mind, [L]https://www.samh.org.uk/[L+]SAMH (the Scottish Association for Mental Health) and Inspire to bring communities together to improve mental wellbeing.

In that time, Co-op's colleagues, members and customers have raised over £4.5 million to support new mental wellbeing services across the UK, while also raising awareness of the importance of looking after your mental wellbeing. That's why Co-op created Be Kind To Your Mind, to help you look after and find support for your and others' mental wellbeing. It includes activities from Co-op and partners as well as general tips and how to seek support from our charity partners, Mind, SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) and Inspire.