As we announced on alongside our Corporate Social Responsibility policy back in January, our charity partner for 2020-21 is Oxfordshire Mind – a fantastic local mental health charity supporting people all over the county of Oxfordshire with mental health issues. Their services are invaluable, and during a tumultuous 2020 due to COVID-19, many more individuals have been leaning on them for crucial mental health support as our communities face the challenges of this crisis.
As part of our fundraising efforts for Oxfordshire Mind, members of team Sibelius signed up to take part in the Blenheim 7k fun run. The event was originally scheduled to take place in April 2020, however due to COVID-19 restrictions, it was postponed until 11th October. The event ended up being cancelled in the palace grounds again, but a virtual version of the run took place instead – which meant that all runners would complete the 7k in another location of their choice rather than in the palace grounds.
So on the weekend of 10th October, four members of our team – myself, Kieron Edwards, Loukiana Chatzinasiou and Gioia Zambon took to the streets (our individual streets, that is!) and ran in aid of Oxfordshire Mind. Between us, we raised £504 for the charity thanks to some generous donations from our families, friends, and colleagues. Notably, Kieron even came first in the 7k male category – completing the race in just 29 minutes and 34 seconds!
We look forward to continuing our fundraising efforts for Oxfordshire Mind during the remainder of 2020 and into 2021!
By Sophia Cheesman
Office Manager
