Mentally Fit York
What is Mentally Fit York?
Mentally Fit York is the University's fund to transform mental health on a local, national and international scale, through supporting on the ground initiatives and the latest groundbreaking research.
Your support will improve mental health and wellbeing in many forms, reaching out from the University to the city's communities and beyond.
Across the world people are balancing their everyday lives with increasing pressures on their mental health.
Good mental health is the cornerstone of a healthy, happy, productive society. It enables communities to thrive and empowers people to be ambitious and achieve their life's goals, inspiring inclusive, compassionate and purposeful societies. Without it, these things can seem impossibly out of reach, but at York we understand this.
Mental health is now a global priority. But it's always been our priority.
How is Mentally Fit York making a difference?
In the UK, up to one in four adults and one in ten children will experience a mental health problem each year. These statistics need to change.
Since it was established in 2020 the fund has been integral to opening up mental health access within the University community and beyond. With continued support we will be able to expand our insights, extend our reach and facilitate even more collaboration between researchers, frontline professionals, and members of the public.
Our ambition is to develop more new preventative techniques to reduce the cases of mental ill health and its impact. We approach the challenge from all angles, working with medics and digital technologists, economists and data scientists and in partnership with the NHS and the third sector, to help prevent mental ill health at all stages of life.
Thanks to the thousands of incredibly generous walkers, runners and donors who’ve already shown their support for this cause, funding has been unlocked to support a range of on the ground initiatives and research projects including the establishment of the Institute for Mental Health Research at York.
£57,000
pledged to support Togetherall over three years, an online platform that provided 24/7 mental health and wellbeing support to every student at York.
£2,000
awarded to Colleges at York, who partnered with local grassroots men's mental health initiative, 'Menfulness,' on a project to remove barriers preventing the young men of the student body from reaching out for mental health support and to facilitate peer support networks within men’s sports teams.
21 Mental Health Nursing Scholarships
offered through the Mentally Fit York Fund. These scholarships support Mental Health Nursing students with living costs, helping to ease financial worries and enabling them to focus on their training.
IMRY - The Institute of Mental Health Research at York
The Institute of Mental Health Research epitomises our determination to bring together ambitious, enquiring academics and students with partners working at the forefront of mental health. The experiences and insights of the public inspire what we do and are at the heart of our work. Your support through the Mentally Fit York Fund will enable the Institute to find better ways to reduce the impact of mental health problems and together we can improve the lives and care of anyone who faces difficulties due to mental health.
Mentally Fit York can and has made a significant difference towards advancements in mental health. Every penny raised goes towards supporting ground-breaking research and on-the-ground initiatives to help transform mental health, locally, nationally and internationally. With your support we can achieve something incredible and help to transform mental health.
Professor Charlie Jeffery, Vice Chancellor and Mentally Fit York Fundraiser
Fundraising for Mentally Fit York
“Our vision is to enhance the lives of all people affected by mental health problems, we do this by sharing the expertise and insights of people from different disciplines and with a wide range of life experiences. It's really important that we get the best research, so that we can implement the best interventions and create the optimum conditions for people to be able to thrive.
Every penny raised for Mentally Fit York contributes to supporting ground-breaking research and on-the-ground initiatives to transform mental health, locally, nationally and internationally. With your support we can achieve something incredible and help to transform mental health.”
- Professor Lina Gega, Director, the Institute of Mental Health Research at York
Get involved
You can make a difference; help us continue our philanthropic tradition by getting involved today:
Donate
Fund scholarships and projects at York
Give time
Volunteer to support students and alumni
If you’re interested in getting involved and have any further questions, contact the team behind the project at yustart@york.ac.uk.