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Harrogate man raises £2,600 for charity ahead of Mixed Martial Arts contest

Wednesday, 14 February 2024 08:00

Harrogate man Jamie Sanchez is taking on a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) contest next month for a mental health charity.

Harrogate man raises £2,600 for charity ahead of Mixed Martial Arts contest A Harrogate man has raised more than £2,600 for charity ahead of a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) contest next month. Jamie Sanchez has signed up for the MMA challenge that will see him compete in three two-minute rounds. He’s taking on the challenge to fundraise for mental health charity MIND and hopes to spread awareness, having suffered with his own mental health. And after originally setting a target of £100, Jamie’s fundraising total now stands at £2,675 after receiving 91 donations. He said:

“I suffer severely with my mental health with diagnosed disorders. Whilst I try not to let this effect my day to day life, I am constantly fighting an internal battle that has led to numerous stints with the crisis team. “I’ve recently gone through my most recent crisis and am now back in recovery with the community mental health team. “Mental health does not just affect me, it affects millions around the world.”

Ahead of his fundraising challenge, Jamie embarked on an eight-week training camp with Bad Company gym in Leeds. And on 14th April, Jamie will be competing in three two-minute rounds of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) at Pryzm nightclub in Leeds. He said:

“I’ve decided to focus my mind on something that will aid in my recovery and hopefully prevent me relapsing whilst also making other lifestyle changes. “You are not your illness. You have an individual story to tell. You have a name, a history, a personality. Staying yourself is part of the battle.”

Jamie has been logging his training journey via a series of videos on Facebook, which can be viewed here. As part of the docuseries titled 'Who am I?', Jamie speaks openly about his journey in the hope to inspire others to speak out. Find Jamie's JustGiving page and contribute to his fundraising campaign here. Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.

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