Mental Elf FAQs

FAQs
for Everyone

  • Mental Elf is a family friendly fun run hosted by South East and Central Essex Mind.

    Mental Elf is a festive fundraiser, raising awareness of mental health as well as vital funds for local services. This will be SECE Mind’s 7th Mental Elf fundraiser event.

    You may have seen other Mental Elf runs this year run by fellow Local Minds – this is part of a national wide project led by National Mind.

    Although part of the Mind Federation (made up of National Mind, Mind charity shops and Local Minds across the country) SECE Mind are a separate registered charity. We are responsible for raising our own funds to support local services in the area.

  • South East and Central Essex Mind is a local mental health charity offering services across Chelmsford Castle Point, Rochford, Southend and South Woodham Ferrers. We provide Supported Housing, Counselling for both adults and children, Wellbeing Mentoring for young people, Mental Health Training and Free Signposting to anyone who needs it.

    We rely entirely on fundraising and kind donations to keep our vital local services open and accessible for those who need us.

  • This year’s Mental Elf event will be at Belfairs Woods (starting at the Woodland Centre) on Sunday 1 December 2024.

  • All abilities and all ages can take part, the event is non-competitive and you can walk or run the route. We encourage you to take the trail at your own pace and to enjoy it!

    Children under 7 can take part for free and all children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

    We also encourage spectators and families to come along and cheer on our elves and will need lots of volunteers on the day to help make the event a success! If you are interested in helping please look at the volunteer FAQs.

  • Yes. Well-behaved dogs are welcome to run with you or come along with spectators.

    Please watch out for other runners and woodland users along the route and be aware that horse riders and cyclists use the area. Dogs must be kept on a short lead and we ask owners to be mindful of both adults and children that may be uneasy around dogs, even if your pet is friendly.

    Please be aware that Dogs are not allowed inside the Woodland Centre (this includes on leads or being carried) - please respect the Wildlife Trust’s rules and abide by this. Water is available outside the Woodland Centre. Don’t forget your poo bags!

FAQs
for Runners

  • Discounted Eager Elf (Early Bird) places are available from 1 September until the end of October.

    Mental Elf tickets:

    Adults (18+) – Eager Elf £15 (Full Price £18)

    Child (Age 7 and over) – Eager Elf £10 (Full Price £14)

    Family (2 Adults, 2 Children) – Eager Elf £40 (Full Price £50)

    Tickets will become full price at the start of November. Places will be available to buy at full price online and on the event day (we are able to take cash or card payments).

    Please note that children under 7 can take part for free but must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times.

  • Visit the ticket page on our website -secemind.org.uk/shop/p/mental-elf24 then follow the event on Facebook to get updates in the run up to the event.

    Tickets will also be available to buy in person on event day. We are able to take cash, card or contactless payments.

  • Yes! All runners will receive an exclusive SECE Mind Mental Elf 2024 medal at the finish line, kindly sponsored by one of our charity partners, London Southend Airport.

    Other goodies will be available after the race and fundraisers also have the option to receive a thankyou certificate.

  • We recommend making alternative arrangements to travel to the site as parking is extremely limited and space will be required for the first aid team and the general public. We suggest using nearby on-road parking (such as Woodside) and then making your way on foot to the Woodland Centre. You can also plan your route via public transport to Belfairs Woodland Centre here: essexwt.org.uk/nature-reserves/belfairs

  • The event site opens for runners from 10:00am. We will be processing runners through registration as quickly as possible, so please do not arrive earlier than 10am, however please allow time to get to the Woodland Centre, collect your runner number and prepare for your fun run before our 10.30 race start.

    If you are arriving with children or feel the cold easily, we recommend coming closer to the 10.30 start time in order to not stand around in the cold!

  • The race is due to start at 10.30am. Registration will be open from 10am and there will be a warm up at approx. 10:15am.

  • A bag drop off point will be available for runners at the Woodland Centre. Please ensure you attach a bag label (available at the drop off) before leaving. Multiple labels are available if needed.

    The bag drop is free to use but space will be limited so please only bring items if you need to. The bag drop will be manned, but items are left at your own risk.

  • Registration will be available on the day (cash, card and contactless payments available) - However, if you want to be sure of a place (and a medal!), we recommend booking online asap!

    Young children under 7 who wish to take part with parents or families last-minute do not need to book a place.

  • Refund will be issued at the discretion of the charity. Last minute cancellations/refund requests will not be available. You may transfer your place to someone else if you are no longer attending, or donate your ticket cost to our fundraising total.

  • Yes, but please tell us as far in advance as you can. Notify us by email via fundraising@secemind.org.uk

  • No. This is a family fun run so UK Athletics rules do not apply.

  • No. This is a festive fun run and we want you to enjoy the experience without pressure!

    You are welcome to time/record your own running using your preferred method.

  • Festive dress is encouraged but not mandatory, please wear what you feel comfortable with.

    We ask that you check the weather and dress accordingly. This is woodland terrain and likely to be muddy. If you do wear a costume you may wish bring something warm and dry to put on at the end of the race in case of bad weather.

  • We recommend you do not wear headphones as you must be able to hear instructions from marshals, and other safety messages. You also need to be aware of your surroundings as the woodlands are used by dog walkers, golfers, cyclists and horse-riders.

    If you choose to wear headphones, you do so at your own risk.

  • Please wear trail shoes or other footwear suitable for muddy uneven ground.

  • This is a non-competitive family event so please feel free to walk the course – especially if you have small children. We ask that people intending to walk start at the back of the running pack – a tail walker will walk with the rearmost runners/walkers. Our route consists of 2 laps with the same start and finish point so if you wish to stop for any reason, please do. Everyone will receive a mental and get a chance to celebrate at the finish line!

  • No. The Woodland Centre will be open and has toilet facilities; however there are no specific changing areas or showers. We recommend bringing something warm to put on over your running clothes at the end of the event.

  • Refreshments are available to purchase from the Woodland Centre Café.

  • We are trying to make our Mental Elf Fun Run as plastic free as possible so please bring your own refillable bottles. Bottled water will not be available as part of the run but you will be able to refill water and purchase hot and cold drinks at the Woodland Centre Café.

  • This is a trail run and likely to be muddy so is not suitable for wheelchair racers or everyday buggies. If you have all-terrain equipment that you are confident can manage the route, you do so at your own risk.

  • There will be photographs and video being taken on the day by professionals to help celebrate and document the day. Photo consent will be asked at registration, and as part of online ticket purchases. Due to busy nature of the event, we cannot guarantee your exclusion from backgrounds or crowd images so photo consent is required to take part.

    If you wish to contact us about a photograph you can get in touch via fundraising@secemind.org.uk

FAQs
for Fundraisers

  • You can set up a JustGiving Page quickly and easily via our main Mental Elf JustGiving Page. You can fundraise individually or as a family or team. Please share your own story about why supporting South East and Central Essex Mind is important to you.

  • Due to the current financial climate we don’t feel it is fair to set a target or demand a figure from fundraisers in order to take part in our run. We appreciate every pound raised during this difficult time.

    You can set a target for your fundraiser if you wish ( we suggest £200 as an impactful but achievable goal). Setting a target can help encourage donations and give you motivation whilst taking part, so please do this if it helps you.

  • If you don’t wish to set up your own, can also share our main Mental Elf JustGiving Page and encourage people to donate directly. If you prefer, we also have a more traditional sponsorship form available for you to print off at home. Please email us at fundraising@secemind.org.uk for a copy.

  • South East and Central Essex Mind are responsible for funding their own services, separately to National Mind. To help us continue to raise awareness in the community and provide vital therapeutic and residential mental health services, we encourage runners to fundraise for us.

  • All money raised will go towards running and improving SECE Mind’s mental health services in the local area, including our free signposting service Somewhere To Turn.

    By supporting our charity you can help us reduce financial barriers to mental health support and keep our services accessible to those that need us most.

FAQs
for Spectators and Supporters

  • Families and friends are welcome to come along to the event and not take part – we will have a raffle and fundraising stall on the day to help increase our fundraising total. The Woodland Centre is open serving food and drinks and there is a small amount of indoor and outdoor seating available.

    Please be mindful of the increased amount of people at the site and very limited parking on the day.

  • Of course! You can give our Elves a boost and donate to our Mental Elf JustGiving Page.

FAQs
for Volunteers

  • Absolutely! We are need of lots of volunteers to help make the day a success. Different roles are available including route marshals. No experience is needed but under 18s will need to be accompanied by an adult also volunteering.

    Please get in touch with us here or email fundraising@secemind.org.uk by Wednesday 27 November so that we can assign roles in plenty of time.

  • Different roles are available at both the centre and as route marshals along the route. If you have a preference please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate.

    After contacting us and filling out a short form, volunteers will be emailed information about times and their role in advance of the day. Please make sure to check Junk and Spam folders – if you have not yet received an email from us the week before the event please contact us at fundraising@secemind.org.uk so we can make sure you have everything you need.

  • Thank you! We are in need of kind volunteers throughout the year for various activities. Keep an eye on our Volunteering Page or get in touch with us at fundraising@secemind.org.uk

Have a question not listed here?

If you have a query that we haven’t included or require more information,
please get in touch with the team via fundraising@secemind.org.uk

We hope you enjoy this year’s Mental Elf event and thank you for supporting our charity!