Halo and Lost Paradise owners launch new challenge for Dorset Mind

Almost 200 people took part in ‘The June 500’, supported by Ty Temel of Halo and Ben Reynolds of Lost Paradise

The fundraiser challenged people to travel 500 kilometres, the distance from Bournemouth to Paris, in the month of June by running, swimming, walking or cycling.

Ty said: “I didn’t have any definitive expectations of what we would achieve with #TheJune500. But I can tell you it has superseded anything I could have imagined.

“This is especially important because it’s during a time when their fundraising has taken a big hit because of the pandemic.

“This challenge has actually raised the charity the most donations of any individual event undertaken for them.”

Jamie Whisken, Ben Reynold and Ty Temel decided to do a mixture of sea swimming, running and cycling and increased their individual target from 500km to 1000km to raise money for the charity.

Jamie said: “Lockdown was arguably mentally one of the toughest times for everyone.

“My priority as a trainer in the fitness industry was to keep people in Dorset moving as this has real mental benefits, not just physical ones.

“It has been especially rewarding to keep people mentally focused and active. Dorset Mind was a natural choice to team up with and I’m so pleased we’ve all raised so much.”

Dorset Mind’s Chief Executive, Marianne Storey added: “The challenge has not only benefitted both physical and mental health, it ticks every step of the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ recovery model. We use this in our services to help support and maintain wellbeing.

“The colossal amount of donations raised is life-changing and has come at a crucial time for the charity. We are astounded by the amount raised and would like to sincerely thank everyone that took part or donated.

“We will do something significant with this amount to help support the local community. It will reflect the huge effort and dedication of our three founders – and also everyone that took part.”