THE GameChanger Choose Life Challenge Cup is an exciting seven-a-side football tournament which takes place this Saturday (3 June) at the Hibernian FC Training Centre at East Mains, Ormiston in East Lothian, from 11am until 3pm.
The tournament is a fun competition open to anyone aged 16 or over, with mixed teams very welcome. The winners will also get the chance to come back to Easter Road for a penalty shoot-out competition during a Hibernian home match around Suicide Prevention week in September.
GameChanger is the public social partnership involving Hibernian Football Club, Hibernian Community Foundation, and NHS Lothian.
As well as the three founding partners, there are almost 100 private, public and third sector organisations and individuals who have signed up as interested parties.
The partnership has joined forces with Choose Life colleagues to host the seven-a-side football competition to raise awareness of mental health and suicide prevention. The tournament also highlights the positive difference sport and exercise can make to a person’s mental wellbeing.
The event is organised by Scottish charity, Health in Mind, and John Murphy is their project worker with SHARE (Suicide, Harm Awareness, Recovery and Empathy), which is a Midlothian support group for men aged between twenty and fifty years of age.
John believes the Gamechanger Choose Life Challenge Cup is a fantastic event as it offers a comfortable space for people to get together, reduces isolation and it promotes a sense of belonging.
He said: “The event provides a great opportunity for people to find out about the issues and the services available locally but if there’s someone you know who you think might be considering suicide; ask them and be willing to listen and encourage them to get help – you could help save their life.
“Alternatively, if you are feeling suicidal, don’t hide it; find someone you trust and talk to them.”
A number of teams from have already registered to play in the event. It is free to enter a team and there are a few spaces still available on a first-come, first-served basis.
To register, call John Murphy on 0131 663 1616 or just come along on the day to watch this exciting event and find out more about the issues.
The Choose Life Campaign is part of the national strategy and action plan to prevent suicide in Scotland. In Scotland in 2015 there were 656 deaths by suicide, with the rate for men roughly three times that of women.
ENDS
For further information, contact Health in Mind communications manager, Doreen Graham, on 075 9000 9953 or John Murphy on 0131 663 1616 or email him on John.Murphy@orchardcentreservices.org.uk.
MEDIA RELEASE issued by Health in Mind. You too can share your stories (aka press or media releases), on this site. Email here for more information.
Check out twitter.com/scotsbulletin for your very own media releases feed…
Check out too twitter.com/allCharitiesPR, twitter.com/allSportsPR and twitter.com/allEdinburghPR.
Stay connected with our various twitter feeds: Charities, Drink, Education, Energy, Fashion, Film, Food, Gardens, Legal, Motors, Music, Outdoors, Property, Science and Sports. And not forgetting Finance, Theatre, Travel, Festivals, Visual Arts, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Perth and Stirling.
Health in Mind contact details…
Contact: Doreen Graham
Email: doreen@health-in-mind.org.uk
