State of Mind: Guinness World Record broken at the Halliwell Jones Stadium
State of Mind and Offload have helped set a new Guinness World Record and raise awareness of mental health ahead of the annual Super League themed round.
Together with North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Warrington Wolves, they now hold the new world record by holding the world’s largest mental health awareness lesson at the Halliwell Jones Stadium in Warrington on June 6, 2018.
The previous world record was for 688 people and was achieved in Chennai in India earlier this year, the new world record that has now been set by the organisations is now 857 people.
Dr Phil Cooper said: “What a fantastic night, the weather was brilliant, the former players spoke from the heart about their mental injuries and how they overcame them, highlighting an issue and then using the real experiences provided a session that raised awareness about mental health and provided practical tips on how to manage mental fitness was outstanding.
“I feel proud to work for the North West Boroughs Healthcare and State of Mind Sport to have the opportunity to help others using rugby league to save lives.”
Karl Fitzpatrick, CEO at Warrington Wolves, said: “The lesson was led by Dr Phil Cooper (MBE), a nurse consultant from North West Boroughs Healthcare, along with a variety of former and current rugby league players.
“During the mental health lesson Dr Phil Cooper asked a series of mental health questions encouraging participants to lift up their ‘yes or no’ cards with their response. In between these sessions, ambassadors from state of mind shared their personal mental health stories, with the evening coming to a close at 7pm.”
Emma Goldsmith from Rugby League Cares, who co-ordinates the ‘Offload’ mental fitness programme running from Warrington Wolves, Widnes Vikings and Salford Red Devils said: “It was great night and brilliant to break a world record while helping people learn more about mental health issues in a fun session, in a great location.”