"Sport in Mind didn't just change my life, they saved it!" Martin.

For 10 years Sport in Mind has been changing and saving the lives of people like Martin. On April 17^th 2021, Sport in Mind will be turning 10 years old, but unlike most 10-year-olds we won’t be celebrating with cakes and presents, we’ll be celebrating all the amazing people who have supported the charity on our journey to help the recovery of thousands of people experiencing mental health problems through sport and physical activity.

In 2011, inspired by the impact sport and physical activity had on his friend’s mental health recovery, our founder Neil Harris teamed up with Tony Young and Tim Waters to launch Sport in Mind, a charity with a simple mission – to improve the lives of people experiencing mental health problems through sport and physical activity.  

The positive impact the charity’s work in Reading had on the lives of people experiencing mental health problems brought widespread interest and acclaim, and soon Sport in Mind had formed a close partnership with Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. With the support of Sport England, Sport in Mind expanded quickly to meet the growing demand for its services and was soon delivering hundreds of community and inpatient sessions for the benefit of people experiencing mental health problems across Berkshire each year.

Sport in Mind now delivers programmes across the South East and its innovative services have supported the recovery over 14,000 people experiencing mental health problems, leading to the charity being awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2019 (the highest honour a charity can be bestow). With a highly successful national partnership with RED January, plans are afoot to expand services to meet demand in the South West and beyond.

Sport in Mind started from very humble beginnings, with a simple act of kindness – one friend supporting another – and we’re so proud that this simple act of kindness has been able to support thousands of others on their journey to recovery.

It has been an exciting 10 years for so many reasons, but the most special thing is meeting all the amazing people who have got involved with Sport in Mind whether as participants, volunteers or coaches. Hearing the positive impact our work has had on everyone’s lives is what inspires us and all we can say is ‘bring on’ the next 10 years.

To help us celebrate, we invite everyone to get involved in our 10^th Anniversary Celebrations between 10^th - 17^th April.

• Sign up now for Do 10! here – Run, walk, cycle 10k, or do something active that involves 10! In return you will receive a FREE Sport in Mind T-shirt! 
• Follow our founder Neil Harris on the Sport in Mind social media streams meeting some of the amazing people that helped grow Sport in Mind
• Send your “Happy 10^th Anniversary” wishes to us via a short video or photo to [email protected] or tag us on our socials @sportinmind
• There will be a merchandise give away on Instagram!
• Buy a hoodie or spend £20 or more in the SiM Shop and you will get a free Sport in Mind tote bag with your order!