York City Football Club to go blue this Easter in support of mental health

York Mind’s ‘It’s OK To Be Blue’ campaign encourages people across the city to come together in the Spring, to engage in blue themed activities to raise awareness and funds for the charity - and get the city talking more openly about mental health.

This year, York City FC players leapt at the chance to take part in the campaign, and will show their support by wearing blue York Mind bibs during their warm-up for their match against Spennymoor Town FC on 19th April.

York Mind volunteers will also be hosting a bucket collection at Bootham Crescent on match day, for fans to donate towards the work of the charity.

York Mind is based just a stone’s throw from Bootham Crescent, providing one-to-one and group support for people who are living with a variety of mental health conditions in the area. As more and more people in York are struggling with mental health issues, more funding is needed to ensure that charities such as York Mind can continue to help people.

Adding his support to the campaign, City manager Steve Watson highlighted concerns about the potentially negative impact of social media on mental health, saying: "We have seen some terrible, tragic stories this year where young people have taken their lives who are directly involved in social media. It can affect people's confidence, their self-belief and, on a football field, the way they perform.

"It plays a huge part in modern-day society and we need to make people aware of how destructive it can be. A throw away comment that is made after a couple of pints on a night can really wound and hurt people.

"The more information we get out there about how harmful it can be, the better. It's a global epidemic and we are just playing a small part in trying to get the word out there. This is a good way to get the message across to our fans and show our support and unity for York Mind."

Holly Bilton, Fundraising Manager at York Mind said: “We are so excited to be working with the players and fans of York City Football Club to raise awareness and funds for better mental health. It’s extremely important that we all remain alert to how our friends, family members and colleagues are feeling, and talk about any issues early on, so that effective therapies and activities can be put in place before mental health problems worsen.

“York Mind are constantly working hard to help people in the local community who are struggling, however several of our waiting lists are currently closed to referrals due to a lack of funding. We can only do this with donations from the people of York – and it is only through the generosity of our community, at events like the York City collection, that we will be able to reach those who need us.”

York Mind supports around 4500 people in York every year, and needs to constantly raise funds to support individuals to continue their lives with a variety of mental health conditions.