Thank you!
Hello,
It’s now been 6 months since I completed my Coast2Coast challenge to raise funds for the Oxfordshire Discovery College, and what a 6 months they’ve been!
I’d hoped to be writing to you sooner to update you on how we’d spent your gift, and what exciting things we’d been able to do post-lockdown, however with restrictions still in place this has continued to be a challenging period for everybody.
We made the tough decision not to compete for emergency survival funding, as this didn’t feel ethical for such a new project – this meant that we were unable to progress our plans to work directly with groups of young people last year. However, we did run our Youth In Lockdown creative project, with around 100 works of art submitted from young people across the county! We also held our first ever Record Club on social media with our Patron Rhys Lewis, with song recommendations from young people, local record stores, and even a guest appearance from Fearne Cotton!
This year we’re getting back to our core work with plans to run 7 pilot groups, reaching at least 70 inspiring children and young people. With funding secured for 2 of these groups already, the work is far from over; we need to raise a further £20,000 for the remaining 5 groups. So whilst your money hasn’t been spent yet, it’s going to go towards creating something fantastic – helping us to run these vital groups which provide support to young peo
ple struggling with their mental health.
As I’m sure you know, this year has been tougher than ever on young people, as it has on all of us. Young Minds reported that 80% of young people surveyed felt the pandemic had made their mental health worse, and eating disorder charity Beat say that demand for their helpline has risen by 173%. Now is a critical time, where together we can be helping young people to bounce back from an incredibly difficult period; by supporting them to find skills, networks, and most importantly hope.
You’ve already done so much to help our cause (thank you!), but if you want to help even more these three things are some serious power moves!
1. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to hear our latest updates – help us reach new audiences by liking and sharing our posts
2. Consider becoming a regular donor – if everyone who sponsored the C2C Challenge donated just £3 a month, we’d raise enough over the course of a year to fund 5 young people on a programme! Get in touch if you’d like to explore this option
3. Introduce us! Might your school, employer, or club be looking to support a local charity? Putting us in touch with them could open up real opportunities for us
Lastly, I’d like to say again from the Oxfordshire Discovery College as a whole, and as little old me personally – thank you. Your support enables me to do work that I love and am passionate about, it got me through 12 days of very challenging walking, and it makes a real and tangible difference to the lives of children and young people in Oxfordshire. You’re already a complete super-star in our eyes 😊
All good wishes,
Laura & the Discovery College Team
xx
