IMPORTANT: Just to address comments by friends and family regarding this fundraiser. 100% of the £4,000 goes to Place2Be charity. This money is NOT being used to pay for the trip in any way. Upon reaching the £4,000 total, Citi will add another £500 for a total of £4500 straight to Place2Be. The trip is being paid by myself and my employer. 100% of funds raised go to charity.

Did you know that rates of depression have increased by 70% among teenagers in the past 25 years and 1 in 8 children (about 4 in every classroom) has a diagnosable mental health problem? It’s estimated that this costs the NHS and society at large £105 billion per year. While this growing issue is beyond alarming, charities like Place2Be have been doing their best to provide much needed support for children. Place2Be provides mental health support to children all over the country by providing places to talk, listen, and get the help they need.

Place2Be, for me, is a very important charity. You may be wondering why, so let’s start at the beginning…

Growing up in a poor background, I attended state schools where services like those provided by Place2Be were not available. Many of my close friends needed the support offered by Place2Be, but without funding available for it in my area, these friends were not able to get the help they needed until much later in life. This impacted their formative school years as they had so much more to fight against on a daily basis than other children. For some friends, though, the help came too late and I watched as they struggled with depression and suicide attempts. I tried to help them to the best of my abilities, but now wonder how their lives might have been different if they had access to Place2Be.

I also watched my teachers try to help my friends, but despite their best
efforts, they did not have the expertise or support they needed to properly help. Unfortunately, my friends would often fall to the wayside without the proper help they needed. This continues to happen in schools today, especially with the stress teachers are under due to budget cuts and reduced services being provided in schools. By supporting Place2Be, I feel I am helping shape a better school experience and maybe even a better future for the children who receive
their services because they are given the support they need but might not otherwise get.

I feel very fortunate that I was able to overcome the obstacles I faced
while growing up and worked hard to graduate from University London College with a with a Master’s degree in Computer Science and now work at Citi in Canary Wharf. I'm doing this fundraising because I believe everyone has the potential to succeed, regardless of background, and Place2Be will continue to give back this potential to society by providing essential services to children all over the country.

A donation of just £7 can support a child's lunchtime drop-in session, a donation of £20 can support a parent with counselling, and a donation of £50 will enable a child to come to a one-to-one counselling session.

Thank you for reading, I hope you consider donating.

Every donation is appreciated!

Want to learn more about Place2Be? Check out their website https://www.place2be.org.uk/