January has been the month of setting new health and fitness goals for 2022 as many people from across Northern Ireland set their sights on the marathon, team relay or 8-mile walk in this year’s Mash Direct Belfast City Marathon.
But how many people have considered a financial health check this January? With the cost of living on the rise and energy bills at an all time high, it’s never been so important for households to review their spending.
Data from the financial services industry indicates that Northern Ireland is the region of the UK where people are most worried about money. 48% of people are stressed and worried about money regularly* and 39% of people in Northern Ireland feel they need to adjust their way of life to cut back and make it easier to cover essential spending**.
The same findings show that 82% say running helps clear the mind - reducing stress & anxiety, with research showing that a daily 20-minute run improved the athlete’s ability to deal with stress by 29%***.
Organisers of the Mash Direct Belfast City Marathon are delighted to announce they will be working with new sponsor, CompareNI.com, to help launch its #MoneyHealthCheck – an online tool designed to give tips on how to create more savings for Northern Ireland households and help people understand their finances, so they can make real changes that put their mind at ease.
CompareNI.com is born and bred in Northern Ireland, currently celebrating its 12th year helping local families save money. It wants to take this further and support local communities by helping them reduce financial worries, save on household bills and avoid overspending.
Ian Wilson, Managing Director, CompareNI.com says: “We feel a healthy body and healthy mind go hand in hand. The Mash Direct Belfast City Marathon is the ideal partner to support our new initiative and encourage people to get fit and healthy, reduce their spending and ease financial worries. We are looking forward to working with the event for its 40 th year as we celebrate our own 12 th milestone helping local families save money.”
The CompareNI.com #MoneyHealthCheck calculator is available here: https://www.compareni.com/healthcheckcalculator.htm
The 40th Mash Direct Belfast City Marathon takes place on Sunday 1st May 2022 with a Marathon, Team Relay and 8 Mile Walk option available. Enter now at www.belfastcitymarathon.com to enjoy the middle rate. Final entry will be on Friday 8th April 2022.
Volunteer opportunities are available for race weekend including the new Expo and Pack Collection, which will be held on Friday 29th and Saturday 30th April in the Titanic Exhibition Centre. Visit the event website for more details.
The Mash Direct Belfast City Marathon is sponsored by Athletics Northern Ireland, Daily Mirror, Belfast City Council, Better, Cool FM (Downtown Radio and Downtown Country), Translink, Belfast Live, Tayto, Four Star Pizza and CompareNI.com. This year’s official charity is C ancer Focus Northern Ireland.
