A local man from Bingley who was told as a child he would never walk again, will be completing a 5 mile walk around Roberts Park on Wednesday 2 November in aid of local charity The Cellar Trust. James, who is 39 years old collided with a vehicle at the age of 11 which resulted in him being in a coma for 9 weeks. He was told that we wouldn’t walk again and was paralysed on his left side.

James will be raising funds for the Cellar Trust, a mental health charity based in Shipley, where he has been a client from the start of this year. Having been out of work for some time, James was looking for training and experience to help him get into a career in landscaping. The Cellar Trust works with adults across the Bradford district and into Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven who are experiencing mental health issues. They work with individuals to develop plans which complement any support they may be receiving from other services. James has accessed the vocational skills and development programme which has included one-to-one coaching and action planning, as well as support with skills development in a real working environment.

James’s Support and Development Specialist Chris says “There have been a few bumps along the way, but James is now really enjoying the horticulture skill shop working with our team and is about to undertake a horticulture qualification at Shipley College. He is really driven to become as independent as possible and since coming here we have seen a huge change in his confidence, communication skills and drive to suceed.”

James says “Once I complete my training, I will be able to start working my way to owning my own business. For me, this is more than organising a fundraising event. I have proven to myself and everyone that I am capable and I can do this. The Cellar Trust for me is such an important place, where people can come and get the skills they need to get back into work.”

James will go straight from his walk to start his qualification at Shipley College on 2 November. If you want to support James and The Cellar Trust’s work, you can find out more and donate here

The Marks & Spencer team will be swooping into our charity shop in Shipley to help clients, staff and volunteers to get the most out of their merchandising, window displays and stock.

There’ll be visual merchandising experts to help refresh window and other displays, and a team sorting and preparing donated stock.

Fundraising Manager, Andrew McCarthy says “Working with corporate partners such as Marks & Spencer is a vital part of our work. Not only does this provide us with much needed support for our teams and clients, but it also allows us to build closer relationships in the local community; something which is vital to our success.”

The shop will also be marking the occasion with a raffle, with prizes including a hamper donated by Marks & Spencer, as well as a retail voucher donated by The Broadway. The Cellar Trust Cafe will also be providing homemade buns for the first 100 customers.

World Mental Health Day is organised by The World Health Organisation every year and is an opportunity to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilising efforts in support of mental health. The theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day, set by the World Federation for Mental Health, is psychological first aid and the support people can provide to those in distress.