Belfast shopping centre, Victoria Square’s popular Park & Stride fashion show returns on Friday May 19 showcasing the latest spring and summer trends and raising valuable funds to support mental health charity MindWise.
The unique underground location and concrete catwalk promises to provide a stark contrast to this season’s colourful eye-catching looks from Victoria Square’s top fashion brands, hand-picked by personal shopper, Katherin Ferries and Cool FM’s Rebecca McKinney.
But it’s not just the latest fashion picks that will be going front row. The popular event takes place during Mental Health Awareness Week (15 – 23 May), and, as part of a new partnership with local mental health charity, MindWise, Victoria Square will use the event to raise awareness and funds to support the charity’s vital work.
Drawing on this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week theme of anxiety, Victoria Square is partnering with MindWise to make ‘mental health everyone’s business’, highlighting the impacts of this common, but often misunderstood mental health condition.
Anxiety disorders affect over 8 million people in the UK. That equates to just over 1 in 10 of us. 75% of mental illnesses start before a person’s 18th birthday, while generalised anxiety disorder is most common in people aged between 35 and 59. Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed, although this may be because they’re also more likely to ask for help
MindWise believes that education about the lived experiences of people living with anxiety disorders in Northern Ireland and is encouraging everybody to have open and honest conversations with family, friends and work colleagues about anxiety and to learn about the differences between some of the most common anxiety disorders.
Encouraging open dialogue on these issues, in the coming weeks, Victoria Square will highlight the experiences of staff, models and presenters involved in the show to normalise discussion around mental health.
“Mental health is everyone’s business and through this event, we will not just raise vital funds to support the charity’s work but also raise awareness of how people can understand and improve their mental health,” says Michelle Greeves, Victoria Square centre manager.
Park and Stride 3.0 will take place on Friday 19 May. Tickets cost £20 and include a goody bag with a £10 VSQ gift card and treats. Proceeds from ticket sales and a luxury prize draw will raise funds for MindWise. For further information and to book, visit www.victoriasquare.com. For more information about MindWise visit www.mindwisenv.org.
