Move Outside Together

Welcome to the wonderful world of Extreme Psychiatry, where good mental health happens outside in the real world. It isn't about sitting in a clinic and prescribing lots of drugs, telling people what to do, or pretending that health professionals have it all sorted. We should know - we're in the mental health business.

Hopkins (the short sassy one on the left) is a Learning Disabilities Nurse. Strings (the old, tired-looking one on the right) is a Learning Disabilities Psychiatrist. We have the privilege of working with people with learning disabilities in Hastings & Rother, where we're part of the Community Learning Disability Team (CLDT). We get involved in some pretty wide-ranging issues, but particularly love to support and improve people's mental health.

Over the years, we've firmly come to believe that the secret recipe for good mental health is to Move Outside Together.

MOVE: we all need to exercise, in whatever way we can - it has huge benefits for mental and physical health, but we know it can be hard to get started or keep going...

OUTSIDE: nature is the ultimate medicine, and we need to protect and enjoy natural spaces before we lose them...

TOGETHER: connection is everything - we are social beings, and need to find ways to connect with each other in a world that sometimes feel overwhelming, disconnected and lonely.

There's a lot to worry about at the moment. But rather than sitting around, mulling Armageddon, stockpiling custard or rewatching the Terminator movies for tips, we've decided find to race each other around the world before we retire in 2045. It should keep us busy, and it does rather send the message that we think there will still be a planet here in 2045.

We're going to raise £1 million for charities that will do good for people with learning disabilities - to fund learning disability day services and keep the natural world alive for everyone to enjoy.

Our challenge is to make it round the world under our own steam. The journey will be virtual - all the miles we manage around our home towns will add up to create our path round the planet. That way, we can still turn up to work without a mountainous backlog of appointments and paperwork in 2045...

What's that you say? How can you help?
Ah! Multiple ways!

1. Sponsor us - the money has to come from somewhere. Think of it like this: you can pay us to do the running for you. You sit back, relax as part of Team Sofa, and watch the miles tick up, knowing your money has been put to work in some of the best charities on the planet!

2. Join Team Extreme - every country, one community! We've started a Movement movement - a community of walkers, runners, swimmers, cyclists and wheelchair impresarios. Hook up your Strava, and add as many miles as you can to Team Extreme's journey! Where are you going, you might ask? Well, just to visit every single country on the planet! Team Extreme is taking on the 120,000-mile adventure through 195 countries, and starting and finishing in Hastings. Be part of the team that stamps the virtual passport! Get your miles in, share the challenge, and follow the team's virtual route. We want your photos, videos, and facts or stories about each country visited by Team Extreme!

3. Connect with us! Share our story, our posts, and our silliness. Watch and rewatch Hopkins tripping Dr Strings over on long runs. Revel in the natty headbands they wear. Enjoy the random facts, musings and stories about our charity partners as we go.

4. Find the richest person you know and ask them to donate for both of you.
Why not, eh?

So: let's make this world a better place:
for people with learning disabilities,
for all of us.

Support Extreme Psychiatry - Move Outside Together.