4th Crosby & District (St William of York) Scouts are based in Thornton, Liverpool.

Since the start of our project there has been a huge change in the understanding of mental health. There is still a long way to go.

We started a project in 2015 called A Million Hands. Its a national initiative that enables young people across the UK to participate in Community Impact projects in their local area. Our Scouts chose to support Mind because they felt that mental health was not publicised enough.

In their own words: Scouts having their say

. I want to make more people aware

. I want to make a difference

. I want to support mental health because some people dont know about it so people are afraid and wont go near the people with mental health

. I want to support mental health because not many people know about it

. Because not enough people understand and I want other to understand

. Because people close to me are affected by it

. To make more people aware

. To help sick people

Working in partnership with other agencies, including: The Canal & River Trust, The Desmond Family Canoe Trail, Mind and Merseyside Police, our Scouts pledged to create a space where people could go and talk. They hope that they can learn more about mental health and raise the profile of mental health within our community.

The Scouts have designed all aspects of this project and will review what has gone well or needs improvement after each stage. The project is youth shaped, all the ideas have come from them.

They have completed workshops about mental health and have been out clearing litter from the canal on land and water, they have planted bulbs ready for spring. They have made bird boxes, although we were not able to put them up along the canal, we would like them to be put up locally. They made planters from scratch with staff from The Desmond Family Canoe Trail and Safe Regeneration in Bootle, and have now installed these along our adopted section of the Leeds to Liverpool Canal, near to Rimrose Valley Park.

They have designed mosaics, sculptures and fishing pegs that will promote the message "its good to talk" and encourage people to talk about mental health and enjoy the outdoors.

They have actively promoted their message in our local area and have presented their project to Merseyside County Scouts. Our project has encouraged lots of agencies to work together and given the Scouts, skills for life.

Mental health is important to our young people.

4th Crosby & District, St William of York Scouts offers a diverse range of activities and every day adventures for young people aged 10-14 in Thornton, in line with the vision of our County of Merseyside. With the support of our young leaders aged 14-18 we deliver an age appropriate relevant and fun programme that engages young people, encourages them to develop as valued citizens in our community. Our programme is youth shaped and rewarding for all of our members. Since we formed our group in 1998 we have supported young people and guided them through the teenage transition to adulthood. 21 of them have achieved the highest award in Scouts, the Chief Scout Gold Award. Others have been recognised by Sefton as Sefton Shining Stars for their contributions to the voluntary sector and in 2016 our troop came runners up in the Leeds to Liverpool Canals Bicentenary Gala Awards for the Learning, Cultural and Education Award. We encourage all of our Scouts to try to do the best they can in all they do and hope that they all grow up to be good citizens.

As adult leaders, we believe that our young people should feel valued and encourage them to make decisions in all that we do. We provide opportunities for young people to enjoy fun and adventure while developing the skills they need to succeed, now and in the future. Scouting covers all aspects of life from community projects, team work, global issues, adventurous activities, exploring the great outdoors, creativity and personal challenges. We help young people to develop key life skills in leadership, teamwork and resilience. We encourage young people to learn self respect and respect for others. Through Scouting we create stronger communities and inspire positive futures.

What inspired us to 'adopt a canal'?

We decided as a troop to do our bit to improve awareness of mental health and to create a space close to where we live to encourage people to go to and talk. We pledged to do our bit to improve mental health within our community.

Our Scouts wanted to make a difference in our community by doing something that would stand the test of time. We use the canal for a lot for our activities and the Scouts wanted to do something that could make lots of people happy.

We also learnt through our mental health workshops that we should try to encourage people who struggling with mental health problems to enjoy the outdoors and spend time with friends. The canal which runs through the heart of our community was the ideal place for this.

We learnt a lot about mental health during our workshops with Mind, Time to Change and Imagine Independence. Making a difference for mental health was really important to our young people.

We met with staff from Time to Change, a local mental health organisation. We did a workshop with them about mental health issues and heard stories of how some people struggle. The key messages were its good to talk and dont presume that you know what is going on in someone elses head, they might be dealing with something you dont know about

We met with staff from the Canal and Rivers Trust and learnt more about the projects available on our canal and how we could be involved. The Leeds to Liverpool canal celebrated 200 years in 2016. It was a privilege to be involved in those celebrations. We were honoured to receive an award for Learning, Education and Culture.

The operations team from the Desmond Family Canoe Trail taught us about the environment at the canal and together we conducted litter clear ups and developed our garden plans. Beth linked us with other local organisations and we were able to build the planters and have them installed along our adopted section.

We have adopted the section of the Canal between Gorsey Lane and Litherland, near to Rimrose Valley Park. (https://www.sefton.gov.uk/around-sefton/coast-countryside/rimrose-valley.aspx)

Rimrose Valley is a Country Park in Sefton and has areas of Special Local Biological Interest. It is home to a wide diversity of birds and creatures. Our stretch of canal runs from Netherton through to Litherland and runs along the edge of our Scout District of Crosby. There are a number of bridges linking the housing estates to the park, as well as places to enjoy the tranquility of the countryside.

Just 15 minutes from the hustle and bustle of the city centre and the business of the docklands, our adopted section of the canal is almost a hidden gem where families can enjoy walking, fishing, and water based activities. We have seen many people using the stretch to commute to and from work, a much safer option than cycling along the busy trunk roads to the dock road.

The Scouts have worked really hard to create a special place where others can enjoy the benefits of their efforts. We love making a difference to help other people. Many of the local people have commented on the planters saying how nice they look. Some of the local teenagers have been helping us to look after them. Its great to hear that others value the work the Scouts have done and can enjoy the environment that has been developed.

We have been surprised at how much more comfortable people are about talking about their mental health in a short space of time. In the three years we have been working on our project, the profile of mental health has increased. There has been a lot of work nationally to encourage others to share their mental health experiences.

What have we done so far

Our project involved a lot of planning, it took a long time to see the impact of our work. Our ideas were to adopt a mile of the canal local to us and create a space that allowed and encouraged people to go and talk. We talked about hands and feet being symbolic - hands for a million hands; feet - walking in others shoes (showing empathy for those dealing with mental health issues)

. So far we have planned ways that we can encourage people to visit the canal and use the waterway and towpath.

. We have visited our section and identified the areas that need attention.

. We have completed litter picks both on the land and on the water.

We have made bird boxes

We have built planters, installed them and filled them with plants. We have visited them daily to water and maintain them.

All our resources have been sourced locally, we hope to involve as many local organisations as possible.

Our plans for the future

We will continue to work with the Canal and River Trust, as there is a lot of work to do. We would like to leave behind something that will mark our project in years to come. Something that will be there for at least 200 years.

Most of all, we will encourage everyone to talk to someone. Look after your mental health. YOU are the most important person in your life. Talk to your friends and family and look after each other. Make a difference where we live.

Your financial support will help us to continue our project and keep it looking nice for the benefit of others.

How can others get involved?

Contact Catherine Ashcroft - 4th Crosby & District Scout Group (St William of York) gsl4thCrosby@live.co.uk