Mental health focus for 30th edition of Catalonia's annual telethon

The countdown has begun to the 30th edition of TV3's annual telethon, La Marató, which will take place on Sunday, December 19, with a focus on mental health. 

In addition to the television studios, four outdoor stages will be set up across Catalonia, the return of a tradition that was dropped last year due to Covid-19. The Catalan National Museum of Art (MNAC) in Barcelona, the Seu Vella in Lleida, Tarragona's Roman amphitheater and the Dalí Museum in Figueres will be the focal points. 

The televised fundraising event, now an annual tradition in Catalonia, will aim to "break the stigma" that can surround mental health issues, by talking openly about mental health, raising awareness about asking for help in time and the need for more research, and listening to the experiences of people who have mental health struggles as well as the experiences of their loved ones. 

More than 30 different presenters will take part to mark the anniversary – many of them well-known faces and voices from TV3 and Catalunya Ràdio – including Lídia Heredia, Raquel Sans, Jordi Basté, Mònica Terribas, Laura Rosel, Gemma Nierga, Carles Francino and Ramon Gener. 

The director of the program, Àngels Molina, said on Wednesday that the main goal of the telethon this year is to fight the "stigma" around mental illness: "In the 21st century, we can't afford mental health problems to be stigmatized."  

La Marató will be held this coming Sunday, kicking off on Catalunya Ràdio in the morning, with television coverage lasting well into the early hours of the following morning. 

€10m for Covid-19 research 

Organized by public broadcasters TV3 and Catalunya Ràdio, every year since 1992 La Marató telethon raises millions in public donations for a different medical cause. 

Last year, after around 18 hours of uninterrupted programming over €10 million was raised for research on Covid-19.  

In 2019, the telethon focused on rare diseases, and in previous years on cancer and infectious diseases.