A DEDICATED Scotland football fan will miss two national games for the first time since 1998 as he takes on an extreme seven-day solo challenge in complete darkness to raise money for a mental health charity.
Steve Davie, from Port Seton, will live alone in a confined space in complete darkness for seven days and seven nights, starting this week.
The Enter The Darkness charity fundraiser is not only a huge personal challenge but also represents the work that new charity Enter Holistic Healing will deliver by supporting people struggling with “dark” mental health challenges.
Alongside thousands of Scottish football fans, Steve travelled to Germany yesterday (Thursday) but, while most will head to watch Scotland’s opening Euro 2024 match against the hosts today (Friday), Steve will instead enter his seven-day darkness retreat.
It will be the first Scotland football match in a major tournament that Steve has not watched – he has been a regular attendee at matches home and away since going to the World Cup in France in 1998 and, if he is not at the game, he is always glued to the TV.
During his darkness retreat – to be held at the Gut Saunstorf Monastery – Steve will live in a 10m2 room, with bathroom and shower, and furnished with the bare essentials, including a bed, armchair, wardrobe and meditation cushions.
Two meals a day will be delivered, along with a supply of fruit and nuts.
There will be an option to have a short daily talk with a retreat counsellor.
Steve said: “I have had my own share of darkness in relation to my mental health and I believe that I’m able to take on this challenge because of the tools I’ve learned over the last few years to support my own wellbeing, and to overcome many of my demons.
“By entering this seven-day darkness, I hope to raise funds and awareness to support others struggling with their mental health and help reassure them that there is light out there for them too.
“But I believe all of us have to learn to understand and love our own darkness in order to fully experience the light.
“It will be hard to miss Scotland’s Euro openers but the sacrifice will be worth it if I can make a difference for others through this challenge, and I’ll be out in time for the third group game, hopefully to hear we’ve won the first two!”
Steve, 51, has been on a wellbeing journey for the past four years, after time off work with stress and anxiety. With four friends, this year he launched the Enter Holistic Healing charity, which aims to become Scotland’s “holistic health service”.
The charity will help those who are financially disadvantaged and suffering poor mental health to access education and experience of holistic modalities such as sound healing, breathwork and meditation to help improve their mental health.
The money raised through Steve’s challenge will help fund the charity’s first pilot scheme, taking 10 people suffering stress and anxiety for 10 weeks through a holistic health and education course, as well as hosting small events around Scotland.
To support Steve’s challenge, visit justgiving.com/campaign/enterthedarkness
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here