Leading property regeneration and investment specialist, Scarborough Group International (SGI) has joined forces with online wellbeing community, It Starts Monday for a six week challenge to help people kickstart a healthy lifestyle change and raise vital funds for charity.
The brainchild of former Premier League footballer and boxer, Curtis Woodhouse, It Starts Monday was launched in January 2021 when Curtis and four friends teamed up to help each other stay motivated in getting fit during lockdown.
In little over a year the online network has grown to more than 5,000 members and features a raft of celebrity ambassadors, including Jeff Brazier, Andrew Johnston and Paddy Kenny, who are on hand to provide support with issues such as weight loss, nutrition and depression through the community’s WhatsApp groups.
Keen to expand the reach and benefits of It Starts Monday to a wider audience, Curtis approached health and wellbeing conscious business, SGI to become a partner of the It Starts Monday Cup; a six week programme of live online workouts, fitness and nutrition plans and mindset coaching.
The challenge will begin on Monday 26 August 2022 and will culminate in an eight-a-side knock-out football tournament at the Community Stadium at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park on Sunday 2 October 2022, where the winning team will be presented with the inaugural It Starts Monday Cup.
The tournament will also double up as a fun day featuring activities for all the family to help them get a better understanding of how to adopt and maintain healthier lifestyles.
Over the next five weeks, SGI and It Starts Monday are hoping to sign up 16 teams of 10 individuals, all looking to make a positive change to their lifestyle, to the It Starts Monday Cup.
Each team will be added into their own WhatsApp group and assigned a celebrity mentor who will provide motivational support throughout the duration of the challenge, with sporting legends including Carlton Palmer, Brian Deane, Leeds United captain Liam Cooper, Ryan Rhodes, Josh Windass, Barry Bannan, Ian Ashbee, Mitch Ward, Dane Whitehouse, Wayne Quinn, Paul Devlin and Carl Bradshaw already lined-up to take part.
Commenting, Curtis said: “At It Starts Monday, we want to help create a positive lifestyle change for those people struggling to find the motivation to make better decisions around their health by providing advice and support on fitness, nutrition and mental wellbeing.
“We’ve run similar online challenges and the participants have seen amazing results so we’re incredibly excited to partner with Scarborough Group International to bring our It Starts Monday Cup to South Yorkshire.”
SGI is Sheffield City Council’s development partner for the next phase of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, the UK’s only life sciences park dedicated to innovation in sport, health and wellbeing.
Simon McCabe, chief executive of SGI, added: “Being an active sportsperson with a young family, I’m acutely aware of the need to stay in shape, not just physically but mentally, although it’s not always as easy as you might think.
“Creating healthier and active communities is at the heart of what we do and our role as development partner for Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park gives us a unique opportunity to leverage our facilities and connections to reach out into the local community and help promote the benefits of adopting a healthier lifestyle.”
The It Starts Monday Cup costs £500 per team to enter with a percentage of the proceeds donated to charity.
For more information or to register a team, please contact woodhousecurtis@icloud.com.
