A team from IT company Aura Technology will be stepping away from their desks to participate in a charity walk for Mental Health Awareness Week.
Operations Director Steve Stokes, Oliver Oxley, Service Desk Engineer Level 2 Lead, and Marc Elkins, Head of Centralised Services at Aura are taking part in the walk with a group friends.
The 26-mile marathon walk from Sandbanks to Lymington on 18th May will raise funds for Oakhaven Hospice Trust.
The Aura team will be led by Oliver, an experienced mountaineer and part of the British Mountaineering Council, who has been walking, hiking, and mountaineering for the past 15 years.
He spoke about the benefits of fresh air and getting out and about, Oliver said: “When you work in IT, people often see it as being bound to a desk and stuck at a screen, but it’s a lot more than that. Most of our sector see ourselves more as problem solvers. I love getting stuck into trying to find resolution and helping our customers or our other colleagues. And it’s the same when I’m hiking or walking, creating different routes and making camps, helping hikers who are a little unsure or new to the adventure.”
Aura has a supportive culture around its employees’ mental health and charitable endeavours. Oliver said: “It’s such an encouraging atmosphere. The company has always been up for sponsoring our walks and is always at hand to celebrate our achievements.”
Oliver, who is actively involved with the Scouts, supporting local Squirrels and Beaver groups, continued: “We’re raising money on this walk, as it’s important to be able to give back to the community. Walking and being immersed in nature give me a huge amount of joy – foraging, hiking and experiencing the great outdoors. But there are so many people who don’t get this opportunity, so taking part in these sponsored walks feels like the right thing to do.”
The group is raising money for Oakhaven Hospice, which provides specialist palliative care and support to those facing life-limiting illness and their loved ones in both home and hospice settings. Oakhaven has a team of specialist nurses, doctors, counsellors and physiotherapists to ease physical symptoms and offer psychological, spiritual and social support.
Oliver, Steve and Marc all have young families, so are supportive of walking as a family-friendly activity. As a keen mountaineer who undertook his mountain leadership training in Snowdonia, Oliver can safely take his friends and small groups on hikes and wild Camps. Steve and Marc are planning to tackle the Three Peaks Challenge next, accompanied by Oliver, who has completed it twice before.
