Tuesday 15th October 2024
Member institutions marked World Mental Health Day with a series of events, including two Colour Runs in Edinburgh.
SSS members celebrated World Mental Health Day on 10th October with a series of events and campaigns, designed to highlight the important link between activity and mental health.
Taking a colourful approach to the day, both University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University opted to host their own Colour Runs – getting hundreds of students active in the process.
Edinburgh’s event at Peffermill Playing Fields saw runners and walkers tackle either a 2.5k or 5k route, with colour stations manned by an army of volunteers ready to shower the participants with eco-friendly paint.
Over 50 participants took to Heriot-Watt’s campus to take on the same distance with runners also enjoying masala tea, drinks and snacks from the Residence Team.
While the runs brought plenty of colour to an overcast October afternoon, they came with a more serious message attached. From data gathered at registration, it was known that 44% of participants did not meet the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week.
Among the wider student population, we know that a large proportion continue to not access the recommended level of physical activity during term time. The extent to which this remains an issue will hopefully become clear when the BUCS Active Wellbeing Survey is launched later this year.
Colour runs, and other events offered across Scotland, help show that there can be plenty of fun to be had while staying active. The events showcased the joy that can be gained from activity and hopefully this will encourage students to live a healthier, more physically active lifestyle at university and beyond.
To kick start your institution’s Active Health programme, view our member resources here.
Lead photo credit: Leigh Anne Turner
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