Thanks very much for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Until June this year, I’m ashamed to say that news of young suicides was something that I only heard about in the news; I knew it was tragic, but I didn’t really appreciate what it meant. Then on the evening of June 16th all that changed when my 19-year-old nephew Lorenzo – a sport-loving, outgoing, happy-go-lucky teenager with no detectable signs of depression – took his own life. The news has devastated us all and the ripples continue to reach far and wide. I can’t imagine what pit of despair must have caused him to contemplate and carry out such a dreadful act.

The swim I’ll be doing on August 24th is insignificant by comparison, but by raising money for the charity Papyrus, I’m hoping to increase awareness of the emotional vulnerability of young people. In a nutshell, Papyrus aims to “reduce the number of young people who take their own lives by shattering the stigma around suicide and equipping young people and their communities with the skills to recognize and respond to suicidal behaviour.”

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.