A food hall and restaurant team is to put its best foot forward for a gruelling running challenge to raise funds for a mental health charity.

Workers at Suffolk Food Hall in Wherstead, near Ipswich, also hope to raise awareness of difficulties people with mental ill health face.

Between then the team of seven people, each at different stages of fitness, will run 24 miles a day for a week from January 14 and January 21 on a treadmill at the food hall.

They say that Suffolk Mind “does an amazing job and influences so many lives across a whole spectrum” and that its work “is certainly not recognised and applauded enough”.

Craig Bullard, event co-ordinator and butchery supervisor, said Suffolk Mind is a “fantastic charity that helps across a whole spectrum of individuals”.

He added: “Suffolk Mind does an amazing job 24/7 so we would like to do 24/7 for them.

“Whether it’s ran, walked or hopped backwards, 24 miles will be put in on that treadmill every day for seven days.

“We need to raise as much funds and as much awareness as we can for a brilliant charity.

“They always have someone there with the right set of ears to guide, advise and educate.

“Mount Everest is tough to reach the top. But people have there own personal Everests that you can’t see and for the work Suffolk Mind does, it helps people reach the top of their mountains.”

Suffolk Mind has set itself the goal of making the county “the best place in the world for talking about and taking care of mental health”.

One of its main priorities is an education programme to encourage people to look after key emotional needs such as sleep, security, respect and attention.

It believes that by focusing more time and effort on helping people keep themselves well, mental ill health can be prevented more often and NHS resources focused where they are needed.

This month Suffolk Mind is also taking part in Red January, a mental health campaign encouraging people to get active every day to beat the blues away.

To donate to the food hall’s fundraising efforts, visit https://www.suffolkmind.org.uk/product/suffolk-food-hall/