On Sunday 23rd April a team of almost 40 runners took on the momentous challenge of running the TCS London Marathon for YoungMinds. Each member of the team came to the day with varying levels of running experience and a unique, inspiring story for why they decided to join the iconic race. From running in memory of a loved one to honouring personal struggles with mental health.

YoungMinds staff travelled to Mile 17 of the racecourse where they set up a cheer station for the day. Braving the rain with yellow and pink ponchos, they cheered on every single member of the team with pride. Our incredible #TeamYM have raised an astounding £50,544 so far – and counting! A huge thank you and congratulations to everyone who took part and supported our runners in any way. We couldn’t do this without you!

Young Activist Ben running for #TeamYM

Our cheer station at Mile 17

Supporting young people during exam season
The next month is going to be a stressful time for young people sitting exams – and for the adults supporting them. It’s normal for young people to feel stressed or anxious about exams. However, if you notice significant changes to their mood, behaviour, eating or sleeping patterns that don’t go away after a few weeks, this may be a sign that their exam stress has started to negatively impact their mental health. Click here for advice on when the right time to step in is, and how have a conversation about how they are feeling. You may also find these resources useful…

Out In The Open is HERE!
Our new fundraising campaign, Out In The Open, officially started this week! We’re so excited to see how each of our incredible fundraisers is going to achieve 310,000 steps during the 31 days of May. By taking part in this event, our supporters are helping to bring conversations about young people’s mental health #OutInTheOpen. This support couldn’t come at a better time. With mental health referrals and waiting times soaring, young people need our support more than ever. There’s still time to join us. Sign-ups close THIS SUNDAY May 7th – don’t miss out!

Activists update our depression webguide
Young people are at the heart of everything we do. That’s why we brought together a group of our Activists with lived experience of depression to update and improve our young people’s guide to coping with depression. The group volunteered their time to help us make sure that the new guide speaks to the different experiences of depression that young people might be facing.