We are delighted to have partnered with with The Heart of Scotland Appeal to get the nation moving by encouraging more people to play the sport on World Squash Day, which took place on Saturday, October 9th.
Unfortunately, Coronary heart disease is Scotland’s single biggest killer, with lifestyle factors such as obesity and lack of exercise directly impacting upon a person’s risk. More than a third of adults in Scotland do not achieve recommended levels of physical activity so, to combat this statistic Scottish Squash teamed up with the Heart of Scotland appeal to inspire people across Scotland to get more active, and ‘Squash the Stigma’ that squash can be a difficult and inaccessible sport to get into.
Together we encouraged players across Scotland to get on the court during the 2021 World Squash Day to #SquashTheStigma by posting a #SweatySelfie and donating to the Heart of Scotland appeal.
Maree Todd, MSP
Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport in Scotland
Holly Fleetwood
Health Promotion and Education Specialist at Heart Research UK
Dr Sue Strachan, who is the current Scottish Women’s over-55 champion, played squash as a child before focusing on a medical career. After 17 years without playing, she picked up the game again.
She said: “I was the fittest and happiest I’d been for 20 years, because it’s so good for your mental health, as well as your physical health. It fits into that busy life really well, way less time than a good gym session, but it’s so much more fun. Sport is just so key to a happy life.”
Squash was ranked the ‘healthiest’ sport in a survey conducted by Forbes magazine in terms of cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, calories burned in 30 minutes and injury risk.
Paul Bell
Director of Squash, Scottish Squash
Sue Strachan
Doctor and Squash Player
“We all know that physical activity is beneficial for our wellbeing, both physically and mentally. Here at the Heart of Scotland Appeal, we want to encourage as many Scots as possible to get more active, and what better time than World Squash Day! We can’t wait to see everyone’s #SweatySelfies as they take part in games across the country and help to raise vital funds for the Heart of Scotland appeal.”
Amanda Donaldson, Senior Fundraiser for the Heart of Scotland appeal
The Heart of Scotland appeal was launched in 2019 to raise awareness of the problem of heart health in Scotland, and to generate vital funds for pioneering research at Universities’ and hospitals across the country. Recently, we have funded almost £300,000 worth of life-saving research to universities in Glasgow and Dundee to investigate links between COVID-19 and heart disease.
To learn more about the Heart of Scotland appeal and find out about how you can help, please visit https://heartresearch.org.uk/heartofscotland/
To donate to the Squash the Stigma campaign, please visit our Just Giving page: https://justgiving.com/campaign/SquashTheStigma
Jenn Saldanha
H//T SQUASH ACT/VATOR
“Through this partnership we can also raise awareness of the great work that the Heart of Scotland Appeal carry out every day. By linking the partnership to the 2021 World Squash Day on Saturday 9th October we hope more people will get on court and experience the excellent physical and mental health benefits that squash can offer to people across Scotland while support heart research.”
Allan McKay, Director of Development at Scottish Squash
