Oxford School joins the Fit4Feb challenge

Exercise can help with low mood and anxiety. We wanted to encourage everyone – especially young people – to get out and get active.

The Fit4Feb concept is simple: you get a team together, walk or run 28 miles or cycle 280km during the 28 days of February, and give a donation to sign up.

Oxfordshire mum, Lucy Bromage, thought it would be just the thing for her children:

With no sports fixtures at weekends for our teenagers, Fit4Feb seemed like the perfect challenge for us all to focus on, getting us outdoors and doing some exercise, all in aid of an increasingly important cause.

And it didn’t stop with her own family. The target of walking at least 28 miles in 28 days grabbed the attention of her son’s Year 8 group at Moulsford School. Lucy saw an opportunity to spread the word, as she explains:

We approached the school sports master suggesting that on Wednesday afternoons, rather than the pupils logging on to their virtual sports session, in February they meet up with one other pupil (complying with lockdown restrictions) and walk or cycle, building up their Fit4Feb miles.

The school was on board straight away and I believe most of the year group have signed up. The pupils are arranging their routes and who to walk/cycle with twice a week, which will hopefully give them the connection with their friends they are so missing at the moment.

Lucy is delighted that the school has taken up the challenge so enthusiastically and is hopeful that it may become a regular fixture in the calendar:

I believe walking and talking really helps everyone’s mental health and thrilled to get involved in this great fundraising event.

The money raised through Fit4Feb will help us reach out to many more young people, giving them the tools they need to look after their mental health.