Hi and thank you for taking the time to visit our fundraiser. Here is a little bit of information you may like to know if you are thinking about donating.

First and foremost, we will be shaving our heads on the 28th of May to allow the most time as possible for sponsors.

The charity we are raising money for is Young Minds. Young Minds is a children and young people's mental health charity.Their mission is to make sure all young people can get the mental health support they need, when they need it, no matter what.                                              

The charity consists of 3 programmes:

 Programme 1: Never alone - providing young people with reassurance and advice on what to do next if they are struggling.

Programme 2: Someone to turn to - making sure young people have adults around them who can really help.

Programme 3: Powerful young voices - building a youth-led movement to make sure support is there for anyone who needs it.

Our names are Issy and Fern. We are both 16 and are living in England. In setting up this fundraiser, we were frequently asked; "Why shave your head?" , "Must you do something so extreme?" and "Why not do a sponsored run instead?" Our response was always: "I want to do something BIG!"

We wanted to do more than just raise money, we wanted to make a sacrifice for a cause. We knew we had to do something that would draw people's attention, not only to our fundraiser but to Young Minds charity as well.

Those who know us in real life will know that we are constantly changing our hair. Be it dyeing, bleaching or even cutting each other's hair, we use our hair to express ourselves. Therefore shaving our heads is a huge sacrifice.

Amongst young people, especially because of the influence of social media, self-image has become a big factor in mental health. After struggling with our own appearances for the majority of our teenage years, we decided enough was enough. We feel like it is time to let go of 'perfect' and not allow our looks to define us anymore.

Issy - Hi, I'm Izz. I’ve decided to do this because mental health is something that sits very close to my heart. Especially at my age, it’s something very common for us all to struggle with and it is so incredibly important that we are helping everyone struggling in any way and as much as we can. In the past, i've struggled with my own mental health and I want to do something to give back for all the help and support i have been given. I’m nervous for such an extreme change but I want to learn how to let go and stop letting my insecurities control my life. 

Throughout my life I have seen the effects of mental health. After losing my cousin, Charlie, to mental health, my life took a turn. I too have found it hard to cope with my mental health and have been receiving lots of help. Although I am in the process of getting better, I am thankful. I want to do something, even if it's small, I want to make sure nobody feels alone, I want to make sure everyone is given the opportunity to be heard. This is more than just a fundraiser to me, I really want to feel like I have helped in any way possible.

Fern - Hi, I'm Fern and I've decided to do this because I want to support a charity who's values I stand by. For a few years, mental health took over my life. I was in a bad place for a long time and, in honesty, I couldn't see myself ever feeling better. Thankfully, I was surrounded by friends and family who enabled me to reach out and get the help I needed. 

After receiving professional help for over 3 years I want to express my gratitude and ensure that no one goes unsupported. I desperately want to play a part and do anything I can for those in need.

Thank you again, for taking your time to read this. We hope you understand how important this is to us and even a small donation would be massively appreciated.

We are so happy to be able to play our part in helping YoungMinds to achieve their goal!