Rambles Reconnecting

Alpkit Foundation supports the Mind Over Mountains bursary programme. It’s set up to offer free spaces to those who need it.

Alex Staniforth is the co-founder of Mind Over Mountains. It’s a registered charity to restore mental health through therapeutic outdoor experiences. There are guided hill-walking days, professional NLP coaching, mindfulness and counselling.

This holistic approach to well-being helps participants to build whole-body resilience, develop self-help skills and find a safe, confidential space to walk and talk with like-minded people.

“It took longer to access NHS mental health services than it did to cycle and run 5,000 miles around the highest county tops of the United Kingdom (72 days). That’s when the lack of support available truly dawned on me - and I became determined to help others access the outdoors to manage their mental health too.” - Alex.

People with difficult life circumstances don’t always receive the mental health support they need. That’s why Mind Over Mountains offers a more immediate form of support - an alternative for high-demand services with long waiting lists.

They work with adults, whether they’ve got a diagnosed mental health condition or not. The service is open to everyone, no matter how physically active they are. The attendees often haven’t had chance to access outdoor places or traditional mental health services.

It was fantastic to hear about the success Mind Over Mountains had last year. They delivered 13 day -walks for 104 attendees. 22 places were free of charge because of the Alpkit Foundation’s support.