We are #TeamElthamSummit ! 

Who are we?

• We are a team of 6 colleagues from Eltham Osteopathy Clinic in South London: in our team we have 4 osteopaths and 2 clinic assistants, working full time throughout our challenge
• We help people with back & neck pain, migraines/headaches, sciatica and joint problems - and now we are coming together to raise money to help combat the mental health crisis that is affecting the young people of today

What are we doing?

• We are 'climbing' the Seven Summits of the world as a team effort by walking, cycling & climbing the elevation of these peaks - to reach a total elevation of 43,314 metres (142,106 feet!) in 27 days!
• Each of our 6 team members are climbing one summit from the Seven Summits, as well as some additional elevation to contribute towards our final summit, Mount Everest! 
• We will each climb the equivalent of 7219 metres (23,684 feet) over the course of the challenge
• We will be using health apps on our phones and Strava to track the elevation we gain throughout each day
• We will be cycling, walking, climbing flights of stairs and finding other creative ways to hit our elevation goal, and climb the Seven Summits for the Tommy Crush Foundation

Why are we doing this challenge?

We have chosen to fundraise for the Tommy Crush foundation as it’s a local charity which aims to help as many teenagers and young adults who may be vulnerable to suicide through poor mental health. We chose this charity as Tommy was a member of the local community, played for Eltham Lions FC, attended a local school & his passing had a huge impact within the community.

Founded in 2018 following the death of 17 year old Tommy Crush, the foundation supports existing UK charities to directly benefit children and young people aged vulnerable to suicide.

“Tommy was a happy, fun, smart, handsome boy who had lots of friends and who was loved. He was not someone who looked lost, anxious, depressed or sad. This is why we need to raise awareness and show people that it’s not what is on the outside, it’s the bit we can’t see. We aim to raise awareness & funds to try and change the outcome for another young person who may be suffering in silence and to stop another family losing a son or daughter, brother or sister.”

Why does it matter?

We have gathered some statistics from Samaritans, Papyrus UK and the British Journal of Psychiatry relating to young people, suicide and self-harm in the UK. The statistics below hopefully shed some insight as to how drastic this issue is and just how widespread it is within the UK.

1. Over 200 school children are lost to suicide every single year
2. Suicide is the biggest killer of under 35s in the UK
3. 1 in 70 children have attempted suicide by the age of 17 
4. 1 in 10 of teachers said that, on average, a student shares suicidal thoughts with them once a term or more 
5. An average of 10 children under the age of fifteen are admitted to hospital for intentional self-harming behaviours every week in the UK
6. Almost 1 in 4 say they have self-harmed in the past year
7. Less than 1 in 3 young people with a mental health condition get access to NHS care and treatment

We can do better to provide young people with the support they so desperately need so that they do not feel they are alone, or that their only option is to end their life. By making facilities & help available to them, we hope to save lives, prevent suicides and get young people the help & guidance they deserve. Please donate to help this cause, and if you are unable to donate please share this JustGiving page! 

Thank you for taking the time to read our JustGiving page! 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.