Kenilworth women are showing a lot of heart to help mental health charity during lockdown

Friends Louise Scrivener and Debbie Locke decided to take part in the 2.6 Challenge with two very different approaches! Louise is taking to Insta Live for the first time, to interview 26 people in 26 days about mental wellbeing and how they have adapted in a personal or professional capacity to the unprecedented situation we find ourselves in.

She chats to people from all walks of life, including teachers, osteopaths and even The Naked Professor.

The interviews are really honest and raw, and include top tips on coping with lockdown.

Debbie, on the other hand, has gone for the physical approach, aiming to complete 26 challenges in 26 days involving the numbers 2 and 6.

She invited friends to come up with challenges for her and they have included activities like 260 skips in 2.6 minutes; running 2.6 miles and doing 26 forward rolls.

Debbie commented how important it was for her own mental wellbeing to have something to focus on during the lockdown.

Both have said how important it is to have a focus right now so they are also using this time to encourage others to learn to crochet – a hobby that they both find beneficial for their mental wellbeing.

Louise and Debbie are one half of the Take Heart project.

Along with friends Sharon Sully and Sally Mortimer, they aim to bring positivity and hope to those who need it by sending out crochet hearts with the message ‘you are not alone’.

Crafting in general, including the act of crocheting things such as these little hearts, can bring about so many benefits such as helping to take one’s mind off everyday worries and could even help relieve or ease depression.

Louise and Sharon have recently launched a live Facebook crochet tutorial on Friday evenings, which has attracted quite a number of viewers keen to try their hand at something new.

Louise started the Take Heart project in 2018 after taking part in the RED January initiative, which is linked to Mind, and teamed up with friends Debbie, Sharon and Sally after being inundated with requests for hearts.

To date, the Take Heart team has sent out almost 20,000 hearts around the world, with the most recent deliveries going to local hospitals and care homes, for the amazing NHS staff and for the patients and families who have been affected by Coronavirus.

If you would like to find out more about Take Heart you can follow the project on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and you can also go to this link www.linktr.ee/takeheartxo