This past weekend saw the running of the second annual 23 Hours of Zolder charity race and to call the event a resounding success doesn’t come near to doing it justice.
Jimmy Broadbent’s Race for Mental Health 2 saw multiclass action featuring GT4, TCR and the mighty Volkswagen Jetta at iRacing’s Zolder all in support of the mental health charity, Mind.
The goal was to build on last years event where the inaugural Race for Mental Health raised £35,000 for Mind, smashing the £1,000 goal which was reached before lights out.
Jimmy set his sights higher this time round with a goal of £10,000 which, again, was raised before the race had begun.
“Last year we put on the original “Race For Mental Health” Our goal was to raise £1,000 but we reached that goal before the race even started. In the end we raised nearly £35k for Mind, an amazing amount.
“2020 has been an awful year for a lot of people. We’ve lost family members, been separated from our friends and had to adjust to a new normal.
“Seeking help with mental health has always been difficult, but the current world situation has made it near impossible for those in need. With that in mind (see what I did there) we’ve decided to once again support Mind, who work to help those who are most vulnerable in this time.”
Members of the community were able to sign up to the event by donating £15 to the fundraiser ahead of the race. For those not competing, an extra incentive to donate was added with a number of prizes up for grabs including: Sim gear from Heusinkveld and Fanatec, F33L gloves, Abruzzi race boots, some of Broadbent’s merchandise and his 2020 Buckmore 24H race suit.
However, the event itself and the reaction from the community showed that it was much more than the chance to appear in a Jimmy Broadbent livestream and win som sim gear that kept the donations rolling. It was a collective appreaciation for the organisation of such an event and for raising awareness for mental health and the stigma it receives that the community resonated with.
In doing so, donations through Jimmy Broadbent’s Just Giving page sit at over £70,000 ($93,000) at the time of writing after the race, with the figure creeping still in the aftermath.
You can still donate to Mind through Jimmy’s Just Giving page here.
