On Saturday 24th March, the O2 Academy Bournemouth was the atmospheric venue for a record-breaking fundraiser for Dorset Mind, the local mental health charity.
This was the fourth event in ‘The Charity Boxing Challenge’ series and consisted of 20 white-collar boxing matches, and four show matches. The challenge was open to men and women of all ages and backgrounds as an opportunity to get into great shape both physically and mentally.
In return, the boxers fundraised for Vantage Sporting Group’s chosen charity – Dorset Mind. This was particularly fitting as VCBC4 was held in loving memory of trainer Johnny Whittam. Two of Johnny’s brothers took part, which made the evening a truly special tribute as the community came together to remember him – 12 bells were struck in the ring as a mark of respect.
Dorset Mind Income Generation and Marketing Manager Dee Swinton comments “When the bells sounded you could hear a pin drop – it was so emotional. Which you could say has summed up the whole experience working with Ty Temel and Vantage Group.
Having spoken with the boxers at the event, the commonality was that they’d all been on a journey – and not only to fitness. They found a real sense of camaraderie at the gym as they trained. And what has been brilliant is that they’ve all spoken about mental health, and the reasons for supporting Dorset Mind. Mental health awareness is so important and I’m very happy that our partnership with Vantage has allowed us to reach a different part of our local community.
The amount these boxers have raised is our highest ever for a single event. What’s really exciting too is that VCBC5 has just been announced to take place on 23rd June with us as beneficiaries again. We’re extremely grateful.”
Vantage Sporting Group Founder, Ty Temel, says “It truly is an honour to be able to provide a platform for people to come together and raise money for an incredible cause. It’s remarkable just how much support we’ve had from both local businesses and competitors.
To date, Vantage Sporting Group has raised a life-changing amount of money for charity – £53,ooo and counting!
Our first show of 2018 took place on Saturday 24th March at the O2 Academy in Bournemouth with a focus on supporting Dorset Mind, in loving memory of one of our trainers and friend Johnny Whittam, who has played a big part of the Vantage journey from the start.
Iam so proud of the amount raised over the 8 weeks, not forgetting the awareness created about mental health. Together, we managed to raise a life-changing sum of over £18,000. I genuinely feel this will make a real difference to our local community through Marianne Storey and her team at Dorset Mind, which I have to say, is an incredible local charity.”
Dorset Mind CEO Marianne Storey explains further “As Ty says, this is truly a life-changing amount of money. We have agreed to put the donations towards our young people Services ‘Dorset Mind Your Head’, so that we can help young people struggling with their mental health.
We know that if we can help people in their early teenage years, we can potentially stop a lifetime of distress – and for young men this is particularly important as they are at high risk of death by suicide.
Over five years, we need at least £1,117,000 to fund our complete programme of mental health support for young people. It is a huge target, but Ty’s donation is an incredible contribution.
For example, to provide a holistic programme of education and support to a school for a year costs approximately £3,000 – and this can reach 2,000 young people. With £18,000, we can provide our services to six schools. The impact of this is incredible, we’re so grateful to Ty and Vantage Sporting Group for working with us this year, the potential of what we can achieve together is so exciting.”
If you would like to make a donation towards Dorset Mind’s Youth Service Appeal, simply follow this link: https://bit.ly/2Hfu2gJ
