As the UK comes together to recognise #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek, the Hull FC Community Foundation will offer its support to a range of social groups through sessions targeted at improving mental wellbeing and reducing loneliness.

Some of the Community Foundation’s most impactful projects; Unite Fitness, Match Fit, and Our Best Years, will embrace discussions surrounding mental health and loneliness, and how exercising and socialising can help people feel better about themselves.

Unite Fitness and Match Fit gives local women and men the opportunity to exercise at a pace and intensity that best suits them.

Meanwhile, Our Best Years is a weekly social club for older people, getting them out of the house and chatting to other people. It also gives participants the opportunity to take part in some low-impact physical activity to keep them moving.

In partnership with Hull & East Yorkshire Mind, this week gives the Hull FC Community Foundation the opportunity to tackle mental health issues and stigmas.

Later this month, participants of the Match Fit and Unite Fitness projects will be taken to The Deep for some yoga and relaxation exercises.

In addition to the mental health focus this month, Hull FC staff will be taking part in some mental health training exercises to help support themselves, their working environment and working out in the local community.

Hull FC Community Foundation Head of Health & Wellbeing Maisie Malton said: “We are proud to be working in collaboration with HEY Mind to raise awareness of mental health issues and the stigmas around it.

“The focus of this year’s HEY Mind campaign is all around the cost of living crisis and how that is affecting people’s mental wellbeing. I know it can be an incredibly stressful time for everybody.

“How the Hull FC Community Foundation is helping, is by offering the chance to come and attend some of our sessions for free. So sessions like Match Fit, Unite Fitness and Our Best Years, which all foster positive social outcomes, are free to attend and that is something we are really proud of.”