Hello!

My name is Grace Joffe and this year I'm aiming to raise £250 alongside the Durham University Charity Fashion Show team for CALM. CALM is a brilliant charity working to help those struggling with poor mental health, and as someone who themselves has had a long journey with mental health issues it's a cause that is super important to me.

I currently live in the Calderdale area of West Yorkshire, which is known for its dramatic scenery and rugged landscapes which have inspired poets and writers like Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes and the Bronte Sisters.

It's also a great place to go for a walk and clear your head. Throughout my own mental health journey, the Yorkshire countryside has offered moments of peace and reflection more times that I could possibly count. Its where I go to reset and feel like myself.

The positive benefits I've received from taking long walks up on the moors have inspired me to pick a popular trail in the area in order to fundraise for CALM, an organisation dedicated to helping others feel more like themselves.

I will be undertaking the 13.8km circular walk from Mytholmroyd to Cragg Vale this December alongside my mum, Claire, who inspired my love for walking and for the surrounding scenery. It would be absolutely amazing if you could support, share or even donate if possible. Its a great opportunity to give money to a very deserving charity and a fab excuse for me and my mum to have a really long natter so please give what you can :)

Its a cause close to both our hearts and I can't wait to work alongside the DUCFS team in raising as much as possible for this great charity!

Grace x

Having reflected on 40 years of DUCFS last year, for our 2024 campaign - Age of Inception - DUCFS are delighted to be partnering with Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to support them in taking a stand against suicide and striving to create a better future.

DUCFS 2024 hopes to raise enough to fund 2 extra phone lines on CALM's helpline, which could allow 19,574 more potentially life-saving phone calls annually, as well as an educational campaign in the North East, which has the highest rate of suicides in England. This campaign will seek to educate young people in the region on the risks of suicide and how to seek support.

Our 2024 campaign will also be supporting DUCFS Launchpad. This is our new independent outreach platform that aims to ignite change throughout the North East, through projects focused on the creative arts, music and community.

#THEFUTUREISNOW