Sir Chris Hoy has had an early victory as a campaign he initiated to show how exercise can have a life-changing effect on mental health has been deemed a success. The Gold Medal winning cyclist, who headed out Team GB on Friday night at the Opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, became Ambassador for The Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) with the 'Get Active' Campaign.
Today, SAMH unveiled the results of an
evaluation of the Get Active Community Engagement Pilot Project. The evaluation has shown the life-changing effect on participants’ mental health and well-being. Over 600 participants, a majority of which had a personal involvement with mental health problems, took part in activities such as gardening, football, tennis and walking.
91% of those involved reporting that taking part made them feel
happier.
81% said they had increased confidence.
87% said they
had learned new skills.
82% reported that the projects had helped
them to be more active in their daily lives.
One of the participants, Robert Hare,who took part in a Get Active football project run with
Street Soccer Scotland, said: "When I went to prison, I lost my home, my
girlfriend and my job. I believed I had hit rock bottom and I had no
one to blame but myself. Street Soccer Scotland and SAMH have helped me
to turn my life around again. I don't know where I'd be in life if I
hadn't found this help."
One of Sir Chris' sporting heroes, former cycling world champion and
world record holder Graeme Obree - a.k.a The Flying Scotsman -
lives with depression caused by bipolar disorder. He commented, "By
raising awareness and promoting the benefits of recovery and good
mental health, SAMH provides such an important service that touches
so many people. I am delighted to be given the opportunity of
adding my support to SAMH and proud to be a supporter of such a
fantastic charity".
With only a few days to go until the cycling events, there will be a few more reasons to cheer on Sir Chris Hoy now.
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