​Pride in my daughter’s mental health fundraiser

However, when The Teenager came to me with her latest proposal last week, I didn’t really have a leg to stand on. Whenever I hear ‘Dad’ being uttered in a reasonable, respectful tone, it’s usually followed by a request for an extended bedtime or an advance on what we used to call pocket money and the kids now call an allowance.

The reason for me being summoned to the teen’s bedroom last week was to be invited to exert myself in the name of the charity - one that is close to both of our hearts. YoungMinds is an organisation dedicated to supporting children and young people who face challenges with their mental health, one whose services are sadly needed more than ever before. I didn’t really have to think twice about it.

The challenge I have signed up to is to support my daughter as she walks 100 kilometres this month, which while it doesn’t sound especially gruelling, will present a real challenge to an out-of-shape forty-something who loses his breath after a particularly brisk walk up two flights of stairs. As I write, we are only a couple of days in and we are well on track, having already received incredible support from friends and family, who have been moved by her brave decision to talk a little about the significant challenges that she has endured.

She made the decision to raise both money and awareness for this great cause during Mental Health Awareness Month, because as she puts it she suffered a year and a half of ‘hell’ herself.

I don’t mind admitting that more than a tear was shed when I read her moving submission on the donations web page that she set up - it takes a lot for somebody so young to share something so personal with a bunch of adults, many of whom she doesn’t know. In fact, I’ve broken my golden rule and I’ve let her read this before I press ‘send’, because this is her story.

She says she is motivated by the fact that 70 percent of young people who suffer from poor mental health aren’t able to access the services they desperately need. Having lived through it, we can testify to the fact that mental health services for children and young people here in the UK are under immense pressure - with waiting lists to be seen by some professionals running into several years.

The struggle for many of our brilliant young people is very real - with some experts suggesting that the fallout from Covid such as lockdowns and, in some cases, months without school - but what we do know for sure is that there is a genuine crisis here and many of our kids aren’t getting the help they so desperately need.

I am almost ashamed to say it, but I currently feel how I imagine a marathon runner feels the day after crossing the finishing line but rather than 26.2 miles, I have managed 16.5 kilometres in four days and there’s a lot more pounding of the pavements to do. But the stiff joints and blisters will be worth it if it means that we’re able to raise cash for a charity that is providing an invaluable service to vulnerable youngsters and their families.

Thanks to fantastic support from under pressure professionals, things are looking much brighter for our eldest, but, as she puts it, not every youngster is as fortunate as she is. That she wants to do what she can to help make a difference for others is a tremendous source of pride for her mum and I.

My motivation for sharing this most personal of stories is that more must be done to tackle the very real mental health struggles of a generation.

If you want to support the Tapps in their challenge, please click here