Through University I am taking on a challenge for the mental health charity, Mind. This involves trekking up the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco this September (hopefully!!) and fundraising £1400 for Mind, the mental health charity. I have chosen to support this charity to help those who are struggling with their mental health.

Today the mental health crisis is so prominent in our society with statistics showing that suicide is the leading cause of death for people aged between 20-34 years; and every year 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem. I’m sure that all of us have either personal or second hand experience of mental health issues and realise the difficulties faced with tackling these issues which are not widely understood/ talked about.

Mind is the leading mental health charity in England and Wales, providing advice and support to anyone experiencing a mental health problem, and campaigning to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding; tackling the stigma which surrounds such a sensitive topic.

In 2015/16 16.7 million people accessed the information pages of the website, 61,862 calls were answered on the Infoline and 390,307 people accessed the services of Local Minds- including talking therapies, peer support, advocacy, crisis care, employment and housing support.

Mental health disorders cause 23% of all disease in the UK but mental health care gets only 13% of our health spending.

I believe that Mind is a vitally important charity, for people to turn to when they feel helpless; whether they need access to information, a listening ear at the end of the phone or support groups to visit locally.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, I would be very grateful for any donations! 

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All funds donated will go directly to Mind.