It's Aqua's 15th Birthday this year and there is no better way to celebrate than giving back to others! Our employees are spread all over the UK and so we decided to choose a charity that focuses its efforts Nationwide. As well as this we wanted to select a charity that is smaller but supports a diverse mix of children and young adults with a diverse mix of programmes. This is where we welcome Little Lives UK to you all (Charity No. 1171884).

There were so many programmes that Little Lives deliver we decided to select the ‘Someone to talk to Campaign’. This programme provides mental health services to schools in areas of the UK most in need. The programme also funds free psychotherapy sessions to children and young adults Nationwide. Some facts to follow which are really hard to hear:

• In 2022, 18.0% of children aged 7 to 16 years and 22.0% of young people aged 17 to 24 years had a probable mental disorder.

• Between April and December 2020, there was a total of 193 likely child suicides in the UK.

• Waiting times for NHS mental health referrals was on average 18 weeks…just to be assessed.

• It is thought some of these numbers have increased by around a third since the COVID-19 pandemic.

So, our employees are signing up to The Aqua 15 Challenge throughout July to raise funds for Little Lives UK.

Each participant dreams up an activity based around the number 15. It can be right through the month or a one-off activity. We’ve got some taking personal fitness challenges, others baking cakes and one selling off home brew. Some of us are also including the family and pets… Anything goes! We’ll keep you updated on our socials just look for Aqua Consultants.

So please support us if you can by donating to such an important cause. Every child deserves the best start in life filled with happiness, laughter fun and joy.

Here is a link to find out more about the programme: https://www.littlelives.org.uk/our-campaigns/someone-to-talk-to-project/