This is the advanced preparation visit covering the Southern leg of the Ride to Recruit route. We are doing this to meet strategic partners, and Mental Health Motorbike members. It will help us prepare for a much more effective and safer project when wr run the Baton Relay event in 2020.
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So it is the start of Mental Health awareness week and we thought we would do something different each day. So the first daily activity is to encourage you to listen to the Sons of Anxiety podcast – part 1 CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
an then we have a daily photo challenge – share your pictures on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/mhmotorbike
We are really excited to be doing a guest speaker talk to IAM Roadsmart Solent on Tuesday 11th May at 7pm.
The work of IAM RoadSmart is vitally important in creating safer riders both from a technical and observational point of view. IAM RoadSmart makes better riders and drivers. As well as training and education, they provide advice and publish research into driver and rider behaviour. Mental Health Motorbike are developing a strategic partnership with IAM RoadSmart nationally and are really keen to promote the benefits within our network.
We will be doing a feature on this new partnership over the next few weeks. watch this space. In the meantime to find out more about IAM RoadSmart visit https://www.iamroadsmart.com
These are the next two courses for May and June, 2021. To book a place send an email to: courses@mhmotorbike.com
Since the creation of Mental Health Motorbike at the beginning of 2020 a lot has happened, not least a global pandemic. We were forced to concentrate our efforts online and saw a massive growth in our support community as the lockdowns had a heavy toll on the public’s mental health.
With some optimism we pushed on with our desire to get out into the real world to raise awareness of suicide rates of bikers and a primary goal of having a trained Mental Health First Aider from the motorcycle community in every town and city across the UK. Our aim was to ride the extent of the UK, over 3000 miles, accompanied along the way with nominated baton carriers. The GPS tracked baton would be handed from rider to rider as we visited as many venues as possible along the way.
With all the planning completed we finally awaited the final roadmap out of the current lockdown. Having reviewed this and after many hours of discussion we feel that it would not be possible to complete the ride in the original timeframe while adhering to the guidelines. Furthermore, we would not be able to realise the original vision of community involvement.
It is on this basis that Mental Health Motorbike has made the hard decision to postpone the ride until 2022.
We will continue to reach out the community throughout 2021 not least with our ambassador presence at every stage of the Bennett’s British Superbike season and with attendance at as many motorcycle events such as the Overland Festival.
Our primary goal remains to train as many MHFA volunteers as possible and this in turn will help us build capacity to provide the much-required support to the motorcycle community and beyond.
We acknowledge and thank you for your continued support that has allowed us in the last year alone to achieve:
And, most importantly…
The support of 57 members who were at the point of suicide but are still with us today.
So yesterday we were on Chaos TV – watch the show and find out more about our work. there was a rumour Weeble was naked waist down apart from his Crocs – doesn’t ‘bare’ (excuse the pun) thinking about!!!
Since I last posted I have received both my 100 and 200 mile “postcards” I reached the 200 mile mark just a few days ago.
What can I say….. the running overall is going well so far I am currently just over a week ahead, hopefully I can continue at the same pace and finish slightly ahead of schedule.
I have achieved 2 personal bests a 10km time of 49:15 minutes and a 5km time of 23:47 one day after another.
Having said that not all of my runs have been as successful. Some days it’s a struggle, whether that is because I’m tired or my mind is occupied and I’m unable to get in the correct mindset.
As running is one of my tap offs for my stress bucket this can sometimes put me in foul mood. For me to get back in the correct mindset I start off by walking rather than running and this allows me to start taking my mind off things as well as loosen my legs of, once that is done I start uping my pace and before you know it I’m at my normal running pace in no time.
Thank you to anyone that has donated it is greatly appreciated.
This programme has been design by Mental Health Motorbike team member Martin Smith with unique and original drawings from Weebles World. It features Weeble and Dog and aims to get you fit, ready for getting back out onto your bike safely.
Remember to read the instructions first and read the legal bits. Please avoid doing this if you are medically unwell. Enjoy and we look forward to seeing you fit back into your leathers in a few weeks. Send us your stories…
Leah previously called herself the Hooligan with pigtails, started riding when she was just a kid. She grew up in rural Lincolnshire, and at five years old her dad – who used to ride a bit of motocross and on the road – bought her a bike. That Yamaha PW50 started her love for motorcycles – and speed. Nowadays Leah is working for Bennetts Motorcycle insurance in their PR and events department.
This is a video supporting the work of Mental Health Motorbike
Steph Jeavons is an author, journalist, and adventurer who just (April 2018) completed a solo around-the-world (RTW) trip that took her to all 7 continents. A world first. The journey lasted a few days short of four years, during which she logged 53 countries and more miles (over 74,000) on a 250cc Honda than anyone who’s come before.
Born in Canada, she’s lived most of her life in Wales and considers it home. Even before learning to ride a motorcycle at 21, Steph Jeavons was unconventional, leading a successful school “uprising” to allow girls to wear trousers in the winter.
Prior to starting her RTW adventure, Steph Jeavons worked conventional jobs in accounting and Human Resources; and ran an off-road motorcycle school before leading desert motorcycle tours in Morocco. Unwilling to stay still for very long, she is currently planning to lead the first-ever all female motorcyclist trip to Everest Base camp in 2019—barely a year after completing her RTW.
As if riding RTW isn’t enough of a challenge, Steph made regular blog and vlog posts on her web site (www.onestephbeyond.com) and authored her first book, “Embrace the Cow: How to Ride Around the World on a Budget” in her “spare time”.
She also got caught in a Himalayan landslide on the highest motorable road in the world; rode Rhonda (her Honda) on Antarctica; visited, in turn, the hottest, driest, wettest, and coldest places on the planet; and graciously turned down six marriage proposals.
This is a video supporting the work of Mental Health Motorbike