Boyce Receives £5,000 Cheque Following Epic Journey

Boyce Receives £5,000 Cheque Following Epic Journey

Left to right: Maria Healy (Mind), Matthew Boyce and David Wheatley (Walkers/PepsiCo)

Matthew Boyce was today presented with a £5,000 from Walkers Crisps and parent company PepsiCo for completing his epic journey from John O’Groats to Land’s End in December.

Matthew walked from one end of the UK to the other because he wanted to raise money and awareness for Mind and the PCA’s Benevolent Fund.

Matthew started with a target of £10,000 in mind but is closing in on the £15,000 mark thanks to kind donations such as the one from Walkers.

David Wheatley presented the cheque to Matthew at Grace Road today on behalf of Walkers and Maria Healy and Camilla Swain were there to say thanks from Mind.

The life-changing journey took 66 days to complete and required a huge amount of physical and mental effort and Matthew said the support he received kept him going throughout.

Matthew said: "The support from everyone has been absolutely amazing. The messages I received throughout the trip kept me going and all of the donations have been extremely generous.

"This donation from Walkers of £5,000 in particular is very kind and has made a huge difference to the running total. I know the money and awareness raised make a huge difference to Mind.

"Although not having mental health issues myself, I felt I had become selfish in not noticing people around me who did.

“The whole purpose of the walk was to get people to open up about depression and provide some financial support to Mind, who do a great job in supporting those who experience mental health problems. The walk was a brilliant experience and I can't thank people enough."

Paul Farmer, CEO for Mind, said: "We are truly grateful to Matthew for his incredible dedication; both in raising vital funds for Mind but also in the tremendous work he has done in raising awareness.

“One in four people experience a mental health problem every single year, yet mental health is still surrounded by stigma and discrimination. Sadly in the sporting world, this seems particularly engrained.  It’s this that stops people opening up and getting help when they need it the most.

“Talking about mental health is the first and most important step in breaking down this stigma. When a young, talented sportsman acknowledges this and goes above and beyond to make this message heard, it makes a real difference. It inspires people to speak out, it prompts them to get help, and it really does save lives.”

Donations can still be made to Matthew through the Virgin Money page at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-
web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=MatthewBoyce1