CHE raises over £1,400 in Great York Walk challenge

Posted on Tuesday 26 May 2026

On Saturday 16 May 2026, staff from the Centre for Health Economics (CHE) joined University of York students, staff, alumni, families and wider community members in the annual Great York Walk fundraising event in support of mental health research and initiatives.

Now in its sixth year, the Great York Walk has become one of the University’s flagship community fundraising events. This year’s event saw 178 participants take part across 10km, 20km and 32km routes, raising over £26,500 so far for the Mentally Fit York fund.

Since launching in 2019, including a virtual edition during the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual event has raised more than £100,000 in total for mental health-focused research, prevention and support initiatives.

Mentally Fit York supports projects that aim to improve mental health locally, nationally and internationally through research, community partnerships and practical support programmes. These include Mental Health Nursing Scholarships for students facing financial hardship, outreach work addressing social isolation, and trauma-informed training for staff and communities.

The CHE team surpassed its initial fundraising target of £500, raising an impressive £1,428 in support of Mentally Fit York, and finished as the second-highest fundraising team across the University. Several colleagues also achieved outstanding individual fundraising results, including Thanzi Project Coordinator Kirsty Adegboro and incoming Head of Department Professor Karen Bloor, who each exceeded their fundraising targets by 154% and 111% respectively.

Donations to support Mentally Fit York can still be made online via the CHE Team fundraising page.