Thank you to everyone who contributed towards the £4612 we raised through our first appeal.

Our costs are ongoing, so we are extremely grateful for every penny we receive to help us continue to move FAST forward.

For 2 years FAST has proved its super efficiency, EFT's incredible effectiveness, and we, the FAST team, have grown our expertise in Covid-19 related mental health issues.

FAST needs to be here to stay for as long as the devastation and destruction to mental health that Covid-19 has created remains. We are seeing increasing symptoms of PTSD now amongst those accessing our support, which if left untreated does not go away; it usually gets worse.

Please help us to be able to extend our service and offering to those in need.

Here's FAST's story in a nutshell!!

At the end of March 2020, professional therapist Wendy Stoten was asked by a colleague friend, Helen, to offer an online treatment to a family member. She was a nurse on a Covid-19 Intensive Care Unit in the middle of the first spike, and she was struggling with overwhelming stress. The change in just one short session was remarkable. Other requests followed, with equally remarkable results.

Wendy knew they had to roll this service out to as many frontline healthcare professionals as possible, and so, with Helen's initial help, Frontline Assistance for Stress and Trauma (FAST) was created.

FAST quickly grew into a 30 strong team of qualified and experienced Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) practitioners all wishing to also volunteer their skills and expertise to meet this serious need. In May 2020, we extended our service to include all healthcare professionals, both NHS and private sector.

FAST Forward 16 months and FAST is seeing the level of stress and trauma experienced by frontline staff still increasing, and frequent signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder emerging.

Those accessing our support have kept going for all this time, against all odds, and in some cases like for example with the Ambulance workers are dealing with rude, abusive public. a far cry from the 'heroes' they were being heralded at back in April 2020. They are exhausted and questioning if they can possibly carry on. Can you begin to imagine what that must feel like?

We have to continue our service to these frontline heroes for as long as they need to reach out to access our support..

AND.....This is where you come in.

If everyone who saw this appeal donated just the equivalent of a Starbucks we'd soon have enough to fund FAST's operations costs for many months to come.

Just think what a difference that would make!

Every pound you can give will make a difference. If you're not able to donate at the moment, could you help by sharing our campaign? We'd be really grateful.

Up to now we have raised for our basic set up and ongoing running costs but now we need to get properly established as a movement to be properly recognised.

We are now formally register as a non-profit Community Interest Company and we believe this is the best structure for FAST and the healthcare professionals we serve.

We are also attracting a volunteer committee of frontline, medical and mental health professionals who can offer guidance and vote on any decisions about the direction we take the organisation in.

Any money we raise over and above our basic running costs will help fund these necessary transitions

We're so grateful for your support that thank you doesn't seem enough but we'll say it anyway. From all the team - thank you!

If you'd like to find out more about our work at FAST, please visit www.fasttraumasupport.org.uk