Welcome!!

1 in 4 people will suffer from a mental health problem in any one year. That's 1 in 4 people for whom life may be an absolute struggle, 24/7. That's 1 in 4 people who may not be achieving their full potential, nor living the life they once dreamed of. That's 1 in 4 people who deserve so, so much better.

Heya! My name is Becky Dudley. I am 17 years old, and currently in Year 13. I am loud, chatty and smiley; I dye my hair all the time, constantly dance & sing in public, and really really want to adopt a bear. From the outside, you probably wouldn't guess that, over the last couple of years, I've been ill. From the outside, you'd be even more unlikely to guess that when I say 'ill', I mean I struggled with my mental health. The last few years have been hugely challenging in all sorts of ways, and at times I didn't think I was going to get here at all. Thankfully, things got better, and the sun came out again. Now, I am the happiest I've ever been- and I want to put that to good use.

Last year, I shaved my hair off for Mind, another mental health charity, and raised £608.13. I was amazed at how generous people were, and at how much it meant to me to make such a difference. Therefore, I decided I wanted to do something bigger and better. This year I'm 18- its a landmark birthday, and I want to mark it well. So, I've decided to embark on a year's worth of fundraising, to try to raise £2015 in the year 2015.

All of this money will go to Mental Health Research UK, a charity who focus on researching mental illnesses, their causes and possible cures. At the moment, around 5% of health research spending goes to mental health research. I think this is a huge let-down- mental health affects 1 in 4 people directly every year, and far far more people are affected in less direct ways. At the moment, there are all sorts of reatment for different mental health problems; however, there are no cures, and treatments don't always work as well as they could. I believe that, one day, we will find either cures or better treatments- and I will do everything in my power to help us reach that day. Right now, that means fundraising for MHRUK.

Alongside this, I am hoping that my fundraising will raise awareness of mental health in general. Mental health is often stigmatised and discriminated against, being treated as something totally different to physical health. The truth is that we all have mental health, just as we all have physical health, and it is something we should all look after. Mental health problems are not a sign of weakness. They're just a sign that something's going wrong.

I truly believe that, one day, we will see a world where mental health is treated in a much more open and positive manner. However, I also believe that, one day, we will see a world where mental health is more truly understood, and where problems are much much easier to cure. It's not for myself, nor my own battles, that I am fundraising and raising awareness. It's for the people I love, who deserve better. It's for the next generation, so that they may grow up in a world where there is less chance of them falling prey to their own minds. It's for you, for mental health is universal.
I would really love it if you would support my progress over the next year or so. If you're Bristol-based, there may be an event you can attend over the year- details of these will be announced as and when!
Alternately, you can sponsor me for a sponsored event. As I'm doing a number of these over the year, I'm not asking for people to donate each time- hence, I've set up a JustGiving page (https://www.justgiving.com/2015in2015) to cover the whole year, where one-off donations can be made. You can donate as much or as little as you'd like; everything helps, and every contribution will be really gratefully recieved.
Alternately, if you don't want to donate, I would be just as thrilled if you could show your support by liking my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/becky.2015in2015), following me on Twitter (@2015in2015). Finally, please do make sure that you tell your friends and spread the word!!

For enquiries, please contact me through Twitter, Facebook or email (becky.2015in2015@outlook.com).

Big love xox