麻豆约拍

Photo: Connor on is bike at the start of is Paris to Istanbul cycle ride

The Charlie Waller Trust gives young people and those around them the skills, knowledge and confidence to look after their mental health. We provide training, information and resources on a wide range of mental health topics, for families, schools, colleges and universities.

We鈥檇 like to say an enormous thank you to all the 麻豆约拍 Radio 4 listeners who supported our appeal. It raised a wonderful 拢26,930.78, which will mean we can support thousands more young people and those who care for them 鈥� young people like Connor Kelly. Now 25, Connor has struggled with both anxiety and depression since he was at school, particularly around key periods such as exams and the transition to university. It became so severe at university that he thought he might have to drop out. A friend had come across the Charlie Waller Trust and suggested Connor should take a look. Connor found the charity鈥檚 Students Against Depression website particularly helpful.

鈥淭he key message was about talking openly,鈥� says Connor. 鈥淚鈥檝e played rugby all my life and young men just don鈥檛 talk about mental health. Simple tips like saying yes to going for a coffee with someone, knowing you鈥檙e not alone, and seeking professional support all helped to guide me forward and stay at university.鈥� For Connor, exercise has been a key to recovery. He鈥檚 now taken it to extremes to raise money and awareness for mental health, taking on huge challenges, such as a Paris to Istanbul cycle ride, and 15 marathons in a year, representing the 15 deaths by suicide each day in the UK. Connor feels that even in the years since he was a teenager, the support for children and young people鈥檚 mental health has improved. He sees the Trust as playing a key role in that, both now and into the future.

He says: 鈥淭he Trust helped me in my darkest and lowest time, it was a bedrock. Their work is absolutely paramount for the next generation.鈥�

For more information about the Charlie Waller Trust, click