KIND-hearted Evesham teenagers have raised hundreds of pounds for an Evesham mental health charity as part of their National Citizens Service programme.
The 15 students from Prince Henry’s High School and The De Montfort School completed a sponsored walk and hosted a quiz night to raise £800 for Evesham & District Mental Health Support Services (EDMHSS).
They only had two weeks to organise their fundraising ideas as part of their National Citizens Service which allows young people to meet new friends and make a difference in the community through volunteering and social activities.
The thoughtful teenagers have used the money raised to buy an electric cooker, washer/tumble dryer and utensils to revamp EDMHSS’ kitchen at their Church Street Centre.
One of the students, Alice Camp, explained why they chose to raise money for EDMHSS.
“We felt it was really necessary to raise awareness in Evesham about mental health,” she said.
“We feel like it’s a bit of a shy area and there’s still a stigma around it.
“With social media growing, it is becoming more common for mental health to be talked about, but with Evesham having perhaps an older community, there is still a strong stigma around mental health which we see daily in schools and in public.
“We felt that if we can talk about it then it that might make people feel like they can talk about it to.”
Sally Earley from EDMHSS said: “We were so impressed with the way that they approached us to see what they could do for us. Usually it’s us chasing funding and fundraising and we were just so impressed with their enthusiasm and their willingness to work so hard.
“They’ve achieved so much in such a short space of time.
“It’s also great that young people recognise there is a need for mental health services as well. For young people mental health is something they necessarily know much about.”
