A four-year-old girl and her mum have started a gruelling 100-mile bike ride in support of improving mental health.
Chelsea Ellis, 4, and her mum Keeley Ellis, 26, from Handsworth, chose to do the ride for mental health awareness and to support the charity, Rethink Mental Health.
In addition to receiving donations up to £255 for cycling, the family chose to post supportive messages, notes and pictures around their community with numbers to helplines.
Keeley Ellis said: “I explained to my daughter about when people are feeling sad, they might need help – she said she wanted to help and make people feel better.”
The family began fundraising in February after Keeley wanted to give back to the community and the charity that helped her through a period where she struggled with her mental health. .
She said: “They were there for me at the time, and although I don’t need them now – I know that other people do.”
The family have done previous work but chose to undertake this challenge to keep fit and because Chelsea has become a keen cyclist, recently ditching her stabilisers.
Keeley said: “We had tears, we had we can’t do its but she kept getting back up and getting back on it. She saw it as barrier that she just knocked down.
“I am just really chuffed to have the opportunity to help out and for my daughter to have the chance as well.”
Keeley and Chelsea Ellis have future plans for a socially-distanced Easter egg hunt that will include sanitation stations for Covid safety. .
“Its a free thing for kids to do, to raise a bit of happiness – adults can take part if they want,” said Keeley.
“It’s not just about raising money or donations, it’s about people knowing there is support there.”
Additionally, the family has received chocolate from Morrisons – they will raffle the donations and provide the chocolate, with notes, to children and adults in public too.
The family’s donation page is at their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006947029283) and Twitter page (https://twitter.com/KeeleyE28570444).
