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Will and I have been hugging as many people as possible for as long as either of us can remember, but never have we held anyone more closely, intensely and passionately as we have each other, and so in many ways June 23^rd-24^th will be business as usual…

Except this time, we will be taking it one step further as we are attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the World’s Longest Hug in an attempt to raise awareness, and hopefully a lot of money, for MIND and the amazing work they do to combat mental health issues.

Mental health problems have been for far too long not given the proper spotlight they deserve and we hope that by holding each other for over 34 HOURS we will be showing the importance of simply showing a friend that you are there for them, and, again, helping MIND continue their fantastic work.

The hug is not an attempt to trivialise mental health by suggesting that a hug is all people need to combat mental health. We are just trying to emphasise the importance of support, friendship and kindness – in a world where sometimes the significance of these things are overlooked.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in 15-29-year-olds worldwide, and for each death there are over 20 attempts. Compared to other illnesses causing similar levels of deaths, mental health remains chronically underfunded, and this is why the work MIND does is so vital.

In the UK; 84 men take their own lives a week in the UK, and the story is not much more positive for women. We all need to be open to the struggles in peoples’ lives and our own, and MIND are helping to break the stigma around these issues.

As with the majority of people, we have both suffered personally (through the experiences of ourselves and those we love) through these illnesses and we are passionate about supporting MIND.

Please donate generously,

Much love (and hugs… really long hugs)

Joe and Will

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