Premiership Rugby side joins forces with Elysium Healthcare to tackle Mental Health
Elysium Healthcare, a young and dynamic independent provider of Mental Health, Neurological, Learning Disabilities & Autism, Children & Education and Private Patient services, has partnered with Premiership Rugby team Exeter Chiefs for an awareness and fundraising event to be held during Mental Health Week 2023.
The Elysium Community Touch Festival will be held at Sandy Park Stadium, the home of the Chiefs, on Saturday 20th May 2023. As well as the opportunity for anyone over the age of 13 to take part in a touch-rugby tournament at a Premiership Rugby ground, the event will offer families a fun day out of activities, including face painting, climbing walls and an adventure cave. There will be the chance to win signed Exeter Chiefs memorabilia including a rugby ball and shirt, and Dartmouth Castle Grill and Bar will be open and serving food and drinks throughout the event.
Fundraising from the event will be donated to LooseHeadz, an apparel brand and mental health charity that provides toolkits of mental health resources and is campaigning globally for mental health ambassadors to be installed at every rugby club around the world, from professional to grassroots. 100% of the money raised at the Elysium Community Touch Festival, including ticket sales, is being used to fund these initiatives and help players at every level of the game.
Rob Shotton, co-founder of LooseHeadz said, "A huge thank you to the team at Elysium for believing in the LooseHeadz mission and joining us on our journey to tackle the stigma around mental health. We're really excited to be a part of the event at Sandy Park."
Elysium has over 90 services across England and Wales, with services covering Mental Health, Neurological, Learning Disabilities & Autism, and Children & Education. Services in the Southwest include Wellesley Hospital in Wellington, Pinhoe View and Spring House in Exeter, The Copse in Weston Super Mare and The Woodmill rehabilitation service– which opened last year in Cullompton. Members of staff from these locations will be on hand on the day of the touch-rugby event to speak to anyone interested in finding out more about mental health, as well as offer advice for anyone inspired to consider a new career supporting people with mental health as a care worker.
Charity Dube, Regional Operations Director - South West at Elysium said, “We are very excited to continue to smash the stigma around mental health through our partnership with Exter Chiefs. These events are not only fun for the whole community but raise essential funds for brilliant charities like LooseHeadz. We look forward to speaking with attendees and explaining how we can provide career opportunities to those who share our values of kindness, integrity, teamwork and excellence."
Elysium Healthcare has been Exeter Chiefs’ principal partner since the 21/22 season, resulting in several successful combined events and opportunities including rugby-themed sessions provided by the club for mental health patients. On the community partnership, Aron Struminski, Head of Community at Exeter Chiefs said, “We are always keen to partner with like-minded companies and working with Elysium Healthcare has been a fantastic experience. We were thrilled with their idea of hosting a touch-rugby festival and showing our support for community causes that improve awareness around mental health, both in the game of rugby and in society generally.”
The Elysium Community Touch Festival is the latest success that has seen the company celebrate awards wins and industry recognition for its positive impact both domestically and internationally, including being named the winner of the ‘Gold Internal Learning Solution of the Year’ at the Learning Awards as well as the recipient of the prestigious Princess Royal Training Award.
Children under 5 can attend The Elysium Community Touch Festival for free, under 15s tickets are priced at just £1 and adults will be charged £2. Only event ticket holders will be able to enter the stadium on the day, whether participating or spectating, and tickets must be purchased in advance. To secure your place (and to enter your team if you wish to play touch-rugby on the famous pitch) please visit here or search ‘Elysium Healthcare’ with location set to Exeter on the Eventbrite website.
