Amy, Sarah and Jack worked alongside Men Matter Scotland and the Co-Operative Community Fund Project to get the event up and running, with a raffle and some terrific prizes up for grabs. Events of this nature are crucial as they create a safe space for like-minded people to come together and showcase avenues for emotional support.

Sometimes, a career at Penumbra can inspire a fundraising challenge. This past summer Jay, a support worker in our Dunfermline Supported Living Service, set himself a goal… conquer The Tough Mudder. An endurance test, The Tough Mudder is an extreme obstacle course designed to push participants physical strength, mental grit and aptitude. Like Jay himself said when we sat down for a chat, “I have seen the work Penumbra do first-hand, both as a client and now a team member, and would like to give back.”

Our fundraisers stretch far and wide, from Aberdeen, Edinburgh to Dundee. Recently, Rachael began her ‘1 Million Steps for Penumbra’ to raise money for our new Hope Point centre. Rachael spoke openly about her own personal struggles with mental health and her desire to make a difference in other’s lives. Over the course of 50 days, Rachael will walk every day to meet her goal, one step at a time.

I began my own Penumbra journey a year ago and in that time, have been amazed at people’s strength and generosity even in the face of tremendous turmoil in our society. One of the first fundraisers I contributed to was Jordan’s Edinburgh Marathon diary. Jordan was training for the marathon as a tribute to his cousin Connor, expressing great admiration for the work we do here at Penumbra and with his donation and your donations, the work we’ll continue to do.