Our Community Interest Company - "Mind and Sole Mate"

"Mind and Sole Mate" is the name of our Community Interest Company which we registered the same time as we opened Sole Mate. You may have seen it written on a "collection cup" on our counter in store.

The purpose of the C.I.C. is to serve the community, and our focus on how we would like to do that is providing people with help to get fit and healthy, physically, but also mentally.

Mental Health was a massive driver for the opening of Sole Mate, and will continue to play a massive part in its existence. Running has always been a very useful tool, in improving our own mental health too, and we will continue to preach the benefits to anyone that will listen.

During 2024, we want to put much more of a focus on the CIC. 2023 was all about establishing the business, which in turn would allow us to build the CIC, as a separate entity, both legal, financially, and otherwise.

Using funds that we will raise through fundraising (and there have been some insanely generous offers of some crazy feats to raise money already!), any grants we can access, donations and such like, we will look to cover costs of private mental health treatment for people in need, using qualified therapists, but also to put that money back into getting people moving and achieving their running goals. Didn't think you could ever run a marathon? why not? whatever the blocker is, let's get over that hurdle.

We currently have 2 Programmes:

1) Make Me A Runner - Getting people moving and through a Couch-To-5k Programme

2) Elevate - Longer distance events - Providing coaching, access to kit, nutrition etc at reduced rates or free.

Details on how to access these programmes will be available soon. Also keep an eye on our social media.

Sole Mate was always meant to be a community, a hub for health, this is the next step.

If you're interested in raising any money for "Mind and SoleMate CIC", and have other ideas of how you'd like to work with us on this and make a difference to people's physical and mental health, then please get in touch.

You can also donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/mindandsolemate