Q5 consultants compete in Windsor Triathlon for MQ
In a move to build awareness for mental health and raise funds for MQ, 25+ advisors from Q5 will next week Sunday take part in the Windsor Triathlon. The consultants have over the past months demonstrated dedication and commitment in their training, and if all goes according to plan they will at the end of the day be able to provide the charitable organisation more than £8 thousand in funds.
Next Sunday, on the 14th June, the Windsor Triathlon takes place, one of the most popular Olympic distance triathlons in the UK. The 2015 edition is set to be the largest Windsor Triathlon yet, with a record number of contestants, from novices to seasoned triathletes, lined up for the race. This year’s highlights include a ‘race with the stars’ wave, giving age-groupers the chance to compete with top athletes including Emma Pallant and Stuart Hayes.
One of the teams taking part in the Windsor Triathlon is Q5, an organisation change consultancy based in London. As part of the firm’s endeavour to tackle the 53.5 km course, 25+ of its staff members (the business advisory has approximately 30 employees in the UK) will swim against the raging Thames currents, cycle over the mountainous Berkshire roads and run through the fields of Windsor Great Park. The consultants will partake both individually and as part of relay teams, with different people taking on different legs.
The consultants of Q5 will compete in support of MQ: Transforming Mental Health, a mental health research charity. Mental health affects 1 in 4 people each year in the UK, yet recent analysis reveals that public awareness on the issue is low, with the result that funding lags other charitable areas. Figures reveal for instance that for every £1 spent by the Government on mental health research, the general public donates just 0.3 pence. The equivalent for cancer is £2.75. “People don't like to talk about mental health, and because of this, many people lack the treatment and support they need. This is particularly true in the workplace, where the issue remains one of the biggest taboos. MQ's research should help to transform understanding, attitudes and treatment and deliver real change for people with mental illness. Tackling the Windsor triathlon, to raise awareness and sponsorship for MQ, is the least Q5 could do”, comments Olly Purnell, Managing Partner at Q5.
So far the advisors have raised over £8 thousand, with Sharon Rice-Oxley (one of Q5’s three founding partners), David Holme (Associate), Jim Dobel (Consultant), Chris Parsons (another founding partner) and Thomas Leary (Associate Partner) taking the financial lead. Not surprisingly MQ, which has a long standing relationship with Q5, says it is “so grateful” for all the consultancy’s efforts, a move which will “hopefully inspire others to support our vital work”.
Funding transition
A recent survey from Baker Tilly highlights the increasing funding pressures charities in the UK are facing. In general government funding is on the decline, and for those charities that have the right strategy and plan in place, corporate and individual donations are on the rise.
