Lincoln City Football Club

The EFL, Lincoln City FC and Lincoln City Foundation will once again come together with charity partner, Mind, to collectively mark Saturday's World Mental Health Day.

With Mind’s latest research revealing that more than 60% of adults and over two-thirds of young people (68%) felt their mental health deteriorated during the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown, encouraging conversations around our own mental health and that of others has never been more important.

Mind’s ‘do one thing’ campaign aims to inspire people to make one small change or take one action to look after their mental health. As part of the campaign, EFL Clubs will play their part and ‘do one thing’ to say thank you to someone deserving within their local communities.

The Lincoln City family are no exception and have their very own activities planned for the day. Tomorrow they are opening nominations to give fans the opportunity to #DoOneThing for a friend in need and nominate them for a surprise personalised message from a First-Team Player. Fans are encouraged to visit www.lincolncityfoundation.co.uk/do-one-thing and nominate someone who’s day might get a little brighter with a message of support.

People can also nominate their workplace for a surprise player visit, which could be a great morale boost for that deserving team. To submit your nomination click HERE.

Nominations open on Saturday 10th October and close on Saturday 17th October.

Earlier this week Lincoln City Foundation also surprised one of their participants, Malcolm, with a surprise visit from Harry Anderson. Malcolm is a life-long Imps fan and even worked at the club several years back as a steward. He was thrilled to see a 2020 first-team player on his doorstep to talk about football with, and Harry Anderson delighted in listening to Malcolm’s stories about the past. The surprise was a great success and is certainly an experience that Malcolm will be talking about for a long while.

Malcolm had this to say about the experience: “I've been an Imps fan since I was 4 years old, and I worked as a steward in the car park for several years. Having Harry visit me has really made my day.”

EFL Chief Executive, David Baldwin, said: “It is fantastic to see EFL Clubs come together to once again to mark World Mental Health Day and support our charity partner, Mind.

“Looking after our mental health and that of others has always been vital but as we all feel the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic and lockdown, it has never been more important to continue to raise awareness and encourage conversations around the subject.

“The various activity taking place this week is a small example of how our Clubs and their respective Club Community Organisations are at the forefront of tackling some of society’s biggest issues. They play a vital role in improving the lives of so many people within communities across the country.

“I’d encourage everyone to get involved and ‘do one thing’ this week - one small action may have a much bigger impact on those around you and help someone in need.”

This is the latest activity by the EFL and Mind, who are currently in Year Three of their groundbreaking charity partnership which aims to raise awareness of mental health amongst fans and the wider public, help raise funds for Mind to deliver life-changing services and improve the approach to mental health in the EFL and Clubs.

That one thing you could do to improve your mental health could be something as simple as taking a walk at the end of a difficult day. Physical activity has a proven ability to enhance wellbeing. Even a simple burst of a few minutes' brisk walking can increase mental alertness, motivation and positive mood. Participation in regular physical activity can increase self-esteem and can reduce stress and anxiety. Local charity, Lincoln City Foundation offer lots of different activities for local people to get involved in, for a variety of different abilities and ages. These activities are designed to help people improve their physical and mental wellbeing, while also giving people a great opportunity to meet like-minded people.

For more information on how to get involved with Lincoln City’s ‘Do one thing’ on World Mental Health Day see www.lincolncityfoundation.com/do-one-thing

For more information on the EFL and Mind’s charity partnership visit - https://www.efl.com/-more/allabout-the-efl/official-charity/

If you need support from Mind visit: Mind.org.uk for information and advice. You can also talk to Mind via the confidential Infoline on 0300 123 3393 or text 86463.