10 years ago the Ice Bucket Challenge was everywhere. Now it’s back and this time it’s all about mental health. Because mental health is everything, everyone, and everywhere too.

How Do I take part? :

• Fill a bucket with ice cold water.

• Get a friend ready to take a video on their phone when you tip the bucket.

• Just before you tip, say why you’re doing this for mental health. You can use our script (see below) or write something yourself. The best way to do it is to make it personal and talk about what mental health means to you.

• Then nominate 3 other people you know to take on the challenge, then make a donation on this page.

• Post your video to social media with #icebucket and tag us with @mindcharity. Don't forget to post the link to our JustGiving page incase anyone else wants to donate too!

What should I say in my video?

Why it’s important:

• If you take on the Ice Bucket Challenge for Mind, you’ll be joining the fight for mental health. Your donation will make sure someone is there to answer the phone at our helplines. It’s going to write vital mental health information. It will power incredible campaigns to get a better deal on mental health care in England and Wales. It will change lives, pure and simple.

• Research Mind has seen shows that mental health attitudes have started to go backwards in the past few years. By posting your video you’re pushing against that, you’ll be breaking down barriers when it comes to talking about mental health. You’ll help spark conversations and could inspire someone to open up about their experiences for the first time.

• Your video could help spark conversations this Mental Health Awareness Week. It could inspire someone to open up about their own mental health for the first time. In a world where mental health really does mean everything to so many people, your support will mean everything to us too.

Looking after yourself

• Don’t take part in the challenge if you’ve got any underlying health problems like hypertension or cerebrovascular disease (including a past stroke). Don’t take part if you’ve got any heart conditions or respiratory issues too. You can still participate by making it safe for yourself, like using something different to water (other ideas listed below)

• Don’t jump into any pools or bodies of water.

• Only take on the challenge once. Don’t repeatedly expose your body to ice cold water.

• Make sure that you take on the challenge on a non-slippery surface to avoid slips and falls.

• Consider asking someone to pour the bucket over your own head to avoid accidently dropping it.

• There’s a small risk that you could inhale water while doing the challenge. This could lead to choking or aspiration pneumonia - please consider this when deciding whether you want to take on the challenge.

• Don’t be peer pressured into doing the ice bucket challenge. If you don’t want to take part for any reason, that’s okay. This isn’t something you have to do.

• Likewise, if you’ve nominated someone who doesn’t want to take part, please respect their decision and don’t pressure them.

Looking after the environment

• When taking on the challenge please think about the environment and water use.

• Try making ice out of used but safe water (like bath water) where possible. This helps limit your impact on the environment.

• Try and collect the ice in a container once used. After it’s melted you can use it to water the garden.

• If you’d like to take part in the challenge but want to avoid using water, you can get creative with what you tip over your head. You could do socks (or unwashed socks for a bigger challenge), grass from the lawnmower, anything!