According to the NHS, one in five children in England has a probable mental health disorder (NHS England, 2023). To put that in context, that's roughly 6 children in every classroom. Early support to give children the skills to cope with feelings and to support them to build resilience is essential.

This is where Compass Phoenix step in.

Compass Phoenix help young people across North Yorkshire to make sustainable lifestyle changes. They do this through structured interventions directly with young people, as well as by supporting schools through consultation and training.

Why Compass Phoenix? I work there.

I'm an Emotional Wellbeing Practitioner, and I love my job. Supporting children to make positive changes and create lifelong healthy wellbeing habits is my "why" and I feel really lucky to do what I do.

Mental health and wellbeing comprises of feeling good and functioning well. My favourite way to boost my own sense of wellbeing is to get out hiking. It often takes perseverance, resilience, and determination to complete a long day out on the hills - all qualities that I associate with my own good mental health.

So it seems fitting that I have decided to set myself quite a big challenge: to walk the West Highland Way!

The walk spans 96 miles from Milngavie to Fort William, and I want to use this as an excuse to raise at least £250 to ensure that Compass' message can be spread far and wide.

Any donation, big or small, will be put towards things such as:
- Stickers to send to schools with the details of Compass' anonymous text service for young people to have in their planners
- Ensuring that all staff have resources which can be used during interventions

https://www.compass-uk.org/services/compass-phoenix/

Thank you!