The Mayor of High Peak in Derbyshire is showing her flexible side this month by hosting an all-day ‘Yogathon’ in aid of the much-loved Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre charity.
The High Peak Mayor, Cllr Barbara Hastings-Asatourian, is supporting the long-running children’s holiday charity during her Mayoral year.
The High Peak Mayor, 73, who has been teaching yoga for 18 years, is inviting everyone along who wants to try out different disciplines of the ancient practice while raising vital funds to help children from all over Derbyshire enjoy a holiday if they might not otherwise get the chance.
The Yogathon lasts from 9am – 4pm on Sunday September 13 and is being held at MyActive Glossop, formerly Glossop Leisure Centre, which has given over its entire building for the day to support the event.
The Yogathon will comprise a series of classes giving people the chance to enjoy a wide range of different types of Yoga, including Ashtanga, Vinyasa and Yin.
The Mayor will be introducing the event wearing her chains of office, before setting them to one side to take two of the classes herself, which will take participants through some gentle breathing and meditation techniques.
Other yoga teachers, who have all given their time for free, will be taking other classes. Each class starts on the hour and lasts 45 minutes, with 15 minutes at the end to enjoy refreshments and help raise more funds.
Cllr Hastings-Asatourian is inviting anyone who comes to bring along home made cakes to help support the day. There will be a bucket for collecting money with a suggested donation of £5.
The Mayor said: “Sometimes people think of yoga and they see it as being getting twisted up like a pretzel position! In fact, when you look at the theory of yoga, it’s about calming the mind.”
The Mayor said she was keen to support the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre as one of her charities during her year in office having learned of its important work all round Derbyshire.
The charity has been providing seaside holidays at its centre in Skegness since 1891, giving breaks to Derbyshire children aged six to 11 who are nominated to go through their school if they otherwise might not get a holiday – whether for financial reasons or others such as caring for relatives.
Some children who attend have been bereaved or are undergoing other tough times in their lives. The centre provides an important confidence boost, a brilliant holiday by the seaside and a break for hard-working families too.
Children go from primary schools all over Derbyshire, including in Glossop, Hathersage and Eyam.
The Mayor said: “What the charity does is still very relevant today. Here in Glossop there are children who have never been to the seaside. I’ve heard children who’ve been to the centre, talking about the craft room and how there’s always somebody there they can talk to. Children just had the best time of their lives there.
“Some children have really tough times. You see children who have really benefited from it and really love it.”
Janine Holmes, CEO of the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre, said: “We really appreciate the support of the High Peak Mayor and everything she is doing for us this year. It’s good to raise awareness of the fact we are taking children for holidays from right across Derbyshire – and it’s a big county! We support children in High Peak all the way down to Swadlincote in the south.
“A holiday is a simple thing but it has such a huge impact on the hundreds of children we help each year. Just seeing them run along the sand at Skegness beach lets you know how worthwhile it is to give children a break.
“I hope lots of people will support this amazing Yogathon in Glossop!”
Other Derbyshire mayors are also supporting the charity this year including the City of Derby Mayor, Cllr Jonathan Smale, and the Derbyshire Dales Civic Chair Cllr Joanne Linthwaite.
To attend the Yogathon, simply turn up on the day on September 13 from 9am. The building has been given over to the event and anyone who wants to come can turn up at any time between 9am – 4pm. If there is a class going on, visitors can refresh themselves in the café before joining the next one. You can also donate to the High Peak Mayor’s charities via this link: https://www.highpeak.gov.uk/article/8668/Donate-to-the-Mayors-Charities
