OTR is joining in the Big Draw as our first fundraising event for our 40th year. We will be holding a postcard design event and a sponsored 24 hour drawing challenge during October half term. The key day being Thursday 26th October when Lizzie (Groupworker) will draw for 24 hours. Your sponsorship and drawing support will be needed! Please gain your sponsorship form and more details from the OTR office or Leigh Park Community Centre or email: admin@off-the-record.org.uk The BIG DRAW is the world’s biggest drawing festival 1 - 31 October 2017. http://www.thebigdraw.org/organise-an-event  Since 2000, the annual, international celebration of drawing, has brought people together, taking place in over 25 countries, involving over 1000 events and has encouraged over 4 million people back to the drawing board. When we draw, we take an opportunity to slow down, and to appreciate how the visual world works. By developing this skill we gain a deeper understanding of our surroundings and learn a truly universal language. A drawing can communicate an idea more effectively than words. We champion drawing as a powerful tool for invention, for communicating complex concepts, and for its power to engage people. Our link to the power of drawing is exactly why we are using this event to raise much need funds for Off The Record.  Our service is predominately delivered by volunteers and heavily dependent on local voluntary giving alongside local and national grant-making trusts, to provide services to young people aged 11-25 in SE Hampshire. We need funding to sustain our vital information and support service, groupwork sessions, young carers programme and our one to one counselling service. Every intervention we make supports positive emotional health and well-being for young people with their current difficulties but long term too. Research shows support in these crucial years builds long-term resilience, mitigating enduring mental problems in adulthood.