Health

The #TakeAMoment4Mind Campaign Asks Us To Pause, Reflect, & Donate

Celebrities including Joanna Lumley & Clara Amfo are taking part in the virtual exhibition.

This year especially, it's so important to take care of our mental health. This is something that a new virtual exhibition by mental health charity Mind is hoping to remind us. But what is the #TakeAMoment4Mind campaign, and how can you get involved?

#TakeAMoment4Mind is a virtual exhibition of photographs taken by British photographer Ray Burmiston, who over the years has snapped hundreds of celebrities. Each photo shows a celebrity closing their eyes to "take a moment," and features stars such as Joanna Lumley, Anthony Joshua, Simon Cowell, Idris Elba, Tom Jones, Nicola Adams, Clara Amfo, This Morning's Holly and Phil, and more than 200 others. Posthumous shots of David Bowie and Bruce Forsyth are also include in the exhibition.

"Now more than ever, we need to take a moment. So let’s take a moment together," Mind explained on their Instagram page.

"Photographer Ray Burmiston's new virtual exhibition @takeamoment4mind shares photos from a decade of outtakes from his studio - hundreds of moments where he asked his subjects to close their eyes for a few seconds, to refresh their connection with the camera. The exhibit captures powerful moments of self-reflection."

"Now, Ray is inviting you to become part of the exhibit in aid of Mind at takeamoment.uk #TakeAMoment4Mind."

The best part is that members of the public are also being encouraged to take part and submit a selfie to be part of the exhibition. To do this, all you need do is go to the Take A Moment website and upload your own photo. Once the photo has been verified by the team, you can share it on social media and we ask nominate three friends to take part also. "We will send you some words and a specially created grid that you can use to promote the exhibition on your channels," the Take A Moment website writes.

The campaign aims to raise awareness for the important work Mind does, and to encourage charitable donations now when they are most needed. You can pay £3 to submit your own photo for the exhibition, and either £30 for a random print from the exhibition or £300 for a custom print. The Take A Moment website states that 90% of the net profits will go to Mind.

Burmiston explained he hoped this campaign "will expand from hundreds of photos to thousands of photos and promote the message: 'we're all in this together', whilst raising vital funds and awareness for leading UK mental health charity, Mind."

Find out more about the campaign and ways to help on the official website or Instagram page.