{"id":243167,"date":"2026-01-13T23:52:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T23:52:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/243167\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T23:52:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T23:52:09","slug":"hull-man-attempting-365-sports-in-365-days-to-raise-money-and-awareness-for-mental-health-charity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/243167\/","title":{"rendered":"Hull man attempting 365 sports in 365 days to raise money and awareness for mental health charity"},"content":{"rendered":"

From football to fencing, kabaddi to curling, Jacob Vahey will be trying it all\"Jacob<\/p>\n

Jacob Vahey on his 365 Sports Challenge for suicide prevention charity CALM(Image: )<\/p>\n

A Hull man has set himself an unusual challenge to help a mental health charity. Jacob Vahey has begun a \u201c365 sports in 365 days\u201d attempt in aid of CALM, the Campaign Against Living Miserably suicide prevention charity.<\/p>\n

With his work<\/a> commitments \u2013 Jacob works in research and development for Air Wick \u2013 and other responsibilities in life, it means the challenge cannot be undertaken exactly one sport<\/a>, one day at a time. But Jacob is determined to have tried out 365 different sports, or variations on sports, by the time the year is up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to raise money and awareness for CALM<\/a>,\u201d Jacob said. \u201cIt\u2019s a brilliant mental health charity that supports people when life gets overwhelming.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a cause that means a lot to me, and I want to help make sure no one has to face things alone. When I was at university I had a couple of mates I sadly lost to suicide.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt made me realise how mental health can be overlooked. If you have an issue with your heart, you go to see a cardiologist; if you are struggling with your feelings, people can pass that off or overlook it without doing something about it.<\/p>\n

\"Jacob<\/p>\n

Jacob Vahey is on a mission to try 365 sports within 365 days(Image: supplied image)<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to help people realise it\u2019s okay not to be okay.\u201d Jacob realised he would need to do some research to see what sports, or activities classed as sports, are out there, to fulfil the challenge. He said: \u201cFrom football to fencing, kabaddi to curling, I\u2019ll be trying it all – while working a full-time job and probably pulling several muscles along the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday [at the time of the interview] is my 99th day of doing the challenge and I\u2019ve ticked off 79 sports. I\u2019m a few days behind as I missed some days over Christmas<\/a> \u2013 I had some family time.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoing the sports themselves is not so bad as I\u2019m quite active but it\u2019s more finding the different sports to try. People have been in touch with me with suggestions, which is great, and I welcome any more.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome sports have different variations, such as tennis, where there is singles, doubles and wheelchair, which has helped me tick off the numbers. In some places there might be two or three sports I can take part in, at the same venue, which also helps.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had loads of different ideas, such as extreme ironing \u2013 you climb up a hill in the Lake District, for example, and take an ironing board with you and iron, that\u2019s a sport \u2013 and there\u2019s toe wrestling. Wife-carrying is also a sport \u2013 I don\u2019t have a wife but maybe I can borrow one for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The 365 Sports Challenge is taking Jacob to all kinds of places(Image: supplied image)<\/p>\n

Before he officially launched into the 365 Sports Challenge, Jacob \u201cwarmed up\u201d by cycling to all 45 of the giant sculptures on the Mischief of Rats trail that could be followed around Hull and East Yorkshire last summer. He is due to complete his sports challenge on October 1, 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s completely open to anyone to join me in any of these sports, they would be very welcome. It has also been so helpful having so many suggestions for what I should try.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jacob said: \u201cAny follows, shares, or donations are massively appreciated.\u201d You can follow him on Instagram @365sportschallenge<\/a> and also support his efforts via Jacob\u2019s JustGiving appeal<\/a> page.<\/p>\n