A Glasgow fitness company is raising money for a mental health charity and getting people active by hosting classes in parks across the UK.

Dianne Teo, CEO of T30 Fitness Training and her team has raised over £1,500 for Mental Health UK by hosting a series of ‘Fitness Party in the Park” events throughout May to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Day.

The 62-year-old, who created Fatburn Extreme and GameFit, saw the move not only to get communities active coming out of lockdown, but also to bring teams of personal trainers together in a positive step ahead of gyms reopening.

Her team of fitness experts put on free sessions for communities throughout UK, suggesting for an optional donation towards mental health, at the end of the session.

Events have been held in Glasgow and elsewhere across Scotland and the UK, all with the aim of raising money for Mental Health UK.

Glasgow Times:

She said: “We decided to do Party in the Park when we heard that the gyms were going to be reopening.

“We knew that Mental Health Awareness Day was going to fall on May 15, so we decided to coincide Mental Health Day with the importance of exercise and gyms opening once again, and planned to deliver a 30-minute Fatburn Extreme or GameFit sessions called “Party in the Park” to run throughout various cities across the UK every Saturday or Wednesday, with all proceeds going to our JustGiving page for UK Mental Health. To date we’ve delivered over 30 sessions across the UK, during May."

When asked about the importance of the events, and why her company opted to put on the events, she said: “We had two instructors who both lost close family members to suicide, and we wanted to do something positive for them and their families, but at the same time, support those people that have had difficult times with mental health issues during lockdown.

“Exercise gets the adrenaline going, it promotes the feel-good factor and gives people that buzz that makes them feel better about life.”

Dianne admits that she has been blown away by the response to the fundraising efforts that has seen over £1,000 pledged in support, with RBS match-funding the final amount.

Glasgow Times:

On the success of the fundraising efforts, she said: “We have raised £1,500 and are now aiming for £2000 with two 'Parties in the Park' in Scotland still to go, one in the Lothians and one in Glasgow Green this Saturday at 10.30am near the Glass House.”

Other events have been scheduled in Ireland once lockdown restrictions ease with the business owner hopeful that the Irish leg of the event will further promote exercise and mental health awareness.

Dianne, who is originally from the Shetland Isles but has lived in Glasgow for 20 years, added that she is very happy by the response which has seen a few hundred people take part with many following the events from park to park.

She said: “We’ve found each event has been gathering momentum. There are people that are coming to the next park the following week.

“It was so good to meet up with people face to face again, even though it’s 2m distancing, it was just fantastic to feel part of a group of people exercising.

“Although many of our instructors are doing online classes for the participants, they still technically exercise alone so getting out and mixing with other people from the community created a big buzz between them all. The instructors are all loving and relishing working as a team again which they haven’t been able to do for over a year. “

Glasgow-based personal trainer Dayna Bone, 32, who taught at one of the Glasgow classes, added: “When Dianne said she was running these classes in parks to get people up and moving that have been stuck in lockdown and raise awareness for mental health I thought it was a brilliant idea.”

“It was a great turnout and a brilliant atmosphere”

Mel Oley, Associate Director for Fundraising and Supporter Engagement at Mental Health UK said of the fundraising efforts: “We’re hugely grateful to Dianne for all of her incredible fundraising efforts which truly capture the importance of looking after both your physical and mental health.

“The energy and commitment from Dianne, her team, and everyone coming together to party in the park will support our work to help people struggling with their mental health.

“Mental Health UK is here for anyone who wants support for their mental health. Visit mentalhealth-uk.org to explore how to get involved, find advice and information, and share experiences through our online peer support community, Clic.”