Mental health charity Mindset gets set for annual Central Rat Race fundraiser
Wind tunnel and giant shoes all part of race to raise money for mental illness causes
The stigma surrounding mental illness is a persistent problem and it will take a long time to get rid of it, says Hongkong Land chief executive Pang Yiu-kai.
He was speaking at the launch of the Central Rat Race, which will be run on October 20 to raise funds for Mindset, a charity that supports mental health organisations and projects in Hong Kong and on the mainland.
Pang, whose company is organising the race, said: "[Mental illness] is just like any other illness. It's like having a cold, a cough or the flu," adding that people should not look at it any differently.
Also at the launch, at the Rotunda in Exchange Square, Mindset chairman Ben Keswick said the stigma still had to be overcome.
"Education is one of the key areas we're trying to [work in]," Keswick said. "We're trying to get out to our younger communities through schools to try and educate them about some of the issues around mental illness."
The annual Rat Race allows altruistic types in the corporate world to let their hair down and don outrageous costumes to raise money for mental illness causes.
