Promedica24 and Lancashire Mind Celebrate Record-Breaking Mental Elf Run
Local live-in care provider Promedica24 has teamed up with Lancashire Mind to support its flagship festive fundraiser, the Mental Elf Run, which has achieved its most successful year to date.
The event, now in its 12th consecutive year, took place at Worden Park in Leyland. Over 450 runners participated, choosing from a range of distances including the 5K run, the Mini Elf 2K, or the Challenge YoursElf route, which offered participants the flexibility to select their own distance. The occasion was marked by a festive atmosphere, with runners donning fancy dress and the community coming together to enjoy face painting, craft activities, live performances, and encouragement from volunteers stationed along the course.
This year, Promedica24 played a key role by sponsoring the much-loved goody bags for the event. Each runner received a bag containing water, refreshments, and useful information on local support and services. Lancashire Mind volunteers packed these bags alongside Regional Partner Gary Derbyshire, who also participated in the run with his partner and their two dogs.
While fundraising totals are still being finalised, organisers are optimistic that this year’s amount will exceed last year’s impressive £17,500. All proceeds will be directed towards Lancashire Mind’s essential mental health services, benefiting adults, children, and young people across the county.
Promedica24, known for providing flexible hourly and 24/7 live-in care services to help individuals maintain independence at home, regularly supports local initiatives in the communities it serves. In Lancashire, Regional Partner Gary Derbyshire has spearheaded several community partnerships, including support for Community Dementia meetings in Lancashire and Cumbria. He is also actively involved with the Ribble Valley Dementia Action Alliance and has volunteered with Wheels For All and Sight Support charities.
Gary Derbyshire, Regional Partner for Promedica24 Lancashire, North Yorkshire & South Cumbria, expressed the company’s commitment to mental health:
“Mental health deserves the same care, attention and compassion as physical health, and that’s why supporting Lancashire Mind’s Mental Elf Run means so much to us at Promedica24.
“The atmosphere on the day was incredible. Seeing hundreds of people come together, many in fancy dress, all in support of local mental health services, was truly inspiring. Our team loved helping to pack the goody bags, and it was a pleasure to take part in the run myself, alongside my two dogs.
“Lancashire Mind makes a real difference to people of all ages across our community, and we’re proud to play a small part in helping them continue that vital work.”
Emma Broom, corporate fundraiser at Lancashire Mind, shared her thoughts on the record-breaking event:
“Mental Elf 2025 was our biggest and, dare I say, best one so far in the 12 years the event has been going. We had more than 450 runners register and bring festive cheer and Christmas spirit to Worden Park in Leyland.
“We would like to say a huge thank you to Gary and the team at Promedica24 for being brilliant sponsors and ensuring everyone went home with a goody bag. Gary threw himself into the event, helping to pack the bags, before taking part in the event and the dog show with his two dogs, Pixie and Maisie.
“Our elves are still counting up the amount raised and fundraising is still coming in but we're confident it has been a record-breaking year – a big thank you to everyone involved!”