As we head into a new year, we want to ensure we can continue to be there for people in Hampshire who need our help, and we cannot do that without the incredible support of our many fundraisers.

Last year, hundreds of people took on a challenge or organised an event in aid of Solent Mind, or donated to our cause, and for that, we are extremely grateful. Every penny you’ve raised has gone directly towards supporting mental health in our communities, which is incredible.

If you’d like to be part of our wonderful fundraising team in 2026, you can choose to sign up to a challenge on behalf of Solent Mind. If running is your thing, why not register to take part in the ABP Southampton Marathon in May, or the Great South Run, in October? And if you’d prefer to support us in another way, you’ll find plenty of ideas on our website.

By supporting Solent Mind, you’ll be following in the footsteps of our fantastic fundraisers of 2025. Here are just a few that supported our charity last year.

Fundraisers of 2025

Mike Pennock, from Southampton, took on the Three Peaks Challenge for Solent Mind to mark his 40^th birthday. Although it didn’t go quite to plan, he powered through and raised £440 for our charity. “I wanted to complete the three peaks in 24 hours, but several curveballs were sent my way that I couldn’t control. It was the hottest day of the year so far and, after suddenly feeling very unwell just 200m from the summit of our first peak, Ben Nevis, I had to make the difficult decision to stop and start my descent. Then, 2 flat tyres and 3 breakdowns on the coach transporting us to Scafell Pike, meant we were very delayed. And, with thunderstorms hitting the Lake District that evening, we were unable to even attempt the climb of our second peak, for safety reasons, which was a difficult pill to swallow. We made our way up Snowdon the next morning, without too many problems, but still much later than planned.

“I knew this challenge would push me to the physical limit, but I didn’t know just how much it would take out of me mentally. I had to use the tools I’ve learnt in the past to accept those things I couldn’t control. I have suffered with anxiety for many years and have had some incredible support from Solent Mind. I wanted to take on The Three Peaks to give back and help the charity continue to support others who are struggling.”

Also taking on a birthday challenge in our honour, was Will Baker. Marking his 45^th birthday, Will took on, not just one, but 4.5 marathons, 45 parkruns and ran a total of 450 miles in 2025. Having received support from Solent Mind’s Marcella House in the New Forest, Will was very keen to fundraise on our behalf. He raised more than £1,700, nearly half of which he donated himself. “The support I received from Solent Mind was incredible, and it was Marcella House that paid for me to take part in my first 10k run in the New Forest in 2017. I wanted to give back by taking on this running challenge, and knowing I was supporting such a fantastic cause was the motivation I needed to keep going.”

It’s not just individual fundraisers that we receive support from, either. Our corporate supporters do a lot for us throughout the year.

Winchester-based Roost Heating has been supporting our charity for a number of years and has organised several fundraising activities in our honour. The company also sourced a boiler replacement for our Mayfield Garden Centre and made alterations to the heating system, which saved the charity more than £8,000 in installation costs.

Most recently, Roost Heating workers walked 12 miles from Solent Mind’s head office in Southampton to our Winchester Wellbeing Centre and raised £1,000. Berni Whitcher, HR Business Manager at Roost Heating, said: “Mental health is a topic close to our hearts, which is why we want to show our support for Solent Mind. Our engineers put their heart and soul into every annual fundraising event, and our sponsored 12-mile walk from Southampton to Winchester was no exception.”

And S&W, the fast-growing professional services group, recently raised more than £4,000 for Solent Mind through a charity football match and a sponsored walk along the Test Way. Paul Duckworth, Partner at S&W, said: “S&W is proud to support Solent Mind in all its work with the local community. We have a great team at our Southampton office who have given up their time to take part in fundraising activities, and these have been an excellent way to make some fantastic memories and support a very worthy cause.”

Thanks to everyone who fundraised for Solent Mind in 2025 - you're all incredible!

If these stories have inspired you, and you are interested in fundraising for Solent in 2026, you can find out more at: www.solentmind.org.uk/support-us/fundraising.

Take on a challenge

Getting active does great things for our mental health, so by taking on a challenge in aid of Solent Mind, you too will feel the benefits! Find out more