22 Push up Challenge reaches £300,000 for Combat Stress
Melanie May | 12 January 2017 | News
Combat Stress’s 22 Push up Challenge has raised over £300,000 so far in donations: the largest amount the charity has ever raised through a social media campaign.
The money raised (which includes Gift Aid) will go towards providing free specialist clinical treatment and support to ex-servicemen and women with mental health conditions. In the last five years Combat Stress has received almost 10,000 referrals, a 71% increase.
The #22PushupChallenge originated in the United States last year to raise awareness of veterans’ mental health. The challenge has been seen more than 19,000 individuals making donations to Combat Stress since the charity started to support the campaign in July.
The challenge asks people to do 22 push ups, post a video or photo of themselves to social media using the hashtag #22PushupChallenge, and donate £5 to Combat Stress by texting PTSD22 to 70004. Donations can also be made online.
In 2016 I took part in #22PushupChallenge to raise awareness of @CombatStress …#ptsd #wellbeing #fitness. pic.twitter.com/MfzXWPDrPw
— Mark Bullock he/him 💙 (@mark___bullock) December 29, 2016
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Sue Freeth, chief executive of Combat Stress said;
“The public’s support for the #22PushupChallenge has been fantastic and we are so grateful to everyone who has taken part and contributed to the £300,000 the challenge has raised. This is an incredible amount and will help ensure we can continue to meet the increasing demand for our services.”
Main image: by Brendan Foster Photography
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.