Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

This year, I will be celebrating my birthday, by abseiling the Broadgate Tower in London in order to raise money for Place2Be.

It's "only" 165m/540f and it's happening on the 21st of September- just 3 days before my birthday!!!

So my request to all my friends, family and colleagues this year will be: please donate the money to this amazing cause instead of buying me presents or flowers or cards!!! 

Whether it is a £1 or £100, you will be making a lasting difference to the lives of children and families across the UK.

Every pound counts!!! and will be going to Place2Be as I have paid for my own travel and accomodation.

The need for Place2Be's services is acute and growing every day. The costs of not providing early mental health support are considerable: children suffer, costs to taxpayers rise and society loses the potential of another individual.

Issues raised by children receiving Place2Be services are wide-ranging and often complex, including bullying, family breakdown, dealing with anger or anxiety, bereavement or friendship issues.

The need for early intervention

A wealth of evidence points to a significant need for early mental health support:

• One in ten children aged between 5 and 16 years (three in every classroom) has a mental health problem, and many continue to have these problems into adulthood. Half of those with lifetime mental health problems first experience symptoms by the age of 14.
• Among teenagers, rates of depression and anxiety have increased by 70% in the past 25 years.
• One in five children have symptoms of depression and almost a third of the 16-25-year-olds surveyed had thought about or attempted suicide.
• Ten years ago, detailed estimates put the costs of mental health problems in England at £77 billion, including costs of lost productivity and the wider impacts on wellbeing. More recent estimates suggest the costs may be closer to £105 billion.
   

"As of Spring 2014 we work in 30 schools in our Glasgow, East Lothian and Edinburgh clusters providing access to our services to 7738 children."

"The families of many of the children we work with manage on low incomes. In 2012/13, over half of children in Place2Be schools were receiving free school meals (FSM), compared to just over a quarter of children in primary schools in the local population.

Children are less likely to suffer from serious mental health difficulties in later life if they receive support at an early age, providing a cost saving to adult mental health services.

Growing evidence indicates that promoting positive mental health also improves a range of positive school outcomes, including enhanced academic progress, better attendance and lower exclusion rates". 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.