Paul Maxwell raises £5867 for Devon Mind during a year-long challenge!
Last week, we were delighted to hold a celebratory afternoon in honor of Paul Maxwell, a local former Plymouth Argyle football player and physiotherapist, who has completed his 50 half-marathon challenge and raised an incredible £11,734 for Devon Mind and Livewell South West.
Paul decided to set himself the mammoth challenge to run 50 half-marathons in one year to mark turning 50 in July 2023, to raise vital funds and awareness for local mental health support services. Paul set himself the year-long challenge to ‘Change the Tape’ and has been encouraging members of our community to join his mission and improve their mental wellbeing, whether that be a short walk and talk, a Friday night run, a 10K, or the whole 13.1-mile run.
The community runs have been widely supported throughout the year, and it was wonderful to meet a few of the regular runners during the celebration to hear more about the personal impact the runs have had. Change the Tape (CTT) has become a regular weekend feature across the county and we were thrilled to witness Paul and his regulars in action when the team completed our very own Plymouth Harbour Runs half-marathon in March 2024.
Since completing the challenge, Paul has decided to continue his mission and has set his next ambitious targets of completing 12 half-marathons and 12 full-marathons over the next 12 months, as part of a wider 10-year plan of challenges with the hope to raise over £100,000 for various charities. Throughout this period Paul will be continuing to support and spread awareness for both Devon Mind and Livewell South West. Paul is also continuing to host community socials on Wednesdays and Sundays and is encouraging anyone looking to change their lifestyle to get involved and join the CTT Yellow Submarine. If you would like to get involved, check out his Facebook page for more information.
We would like to say a massive thank-you to Paul and every single person who has been involved, supported, or donated over the past year. We are extremely grateful to have been one of the chosen charities for such an engaging fundraising campaign that has helped increase awareness of the mental health and wellbeing support we can offer. This generous donation will make a big difference to the number of people we are able to reach across Devon.
Check out the video below to watch Paul complete the 50th run and to hear more about what this experience has meant to him.
“On behalf of Devon Mind, I would like to say a huge thank you to Paul and all of the runners involved for everything you have achieved, not only the huge amount of money raised but also the awareness you have helped spread about Devon Mind and the support services we offer. Raising awareness for mental health and the support available is crucial, as it may be that time when an individual really needs support and is ready to reach out, that they remember how Devon Mind can offer support and contact us.
Devon Mind would simply not be able to offer the variety of support services it currently does without the passion, motivation, and dedication of fundraisers; we are hugely grateful for your efforts and can assure you that the money raised will go a long way in helping us continue to offer vital support to people across Devon. What an incredible achievement both individually and as a team! Well done and thank you, Paul.”
“It’s been an amazing year with incredible people from Devon Mind, Livewell South West, and the fantastic people who ran, supported me, and donated. Thank you to everyone and this is now a ten year plan of various challenges each year. Let’s keep supporting Change The Tape and the main charities we aim to support alongside Devon Mind and Livewell South West.”