A 13 year-old Armadale Academy student took on a charity hike to raise money for a mental health charity following recent teen suicides in the community.
Max Smith hiked the Pentlands with his grandfather, raising £1150 (£1000 over his £150 goal) for the charity YoungMinds that supports young people’s mental health.
Max, at just 13 years old, claims he felt compelled to raise funds to support young people’s mental health after hearing of other young people in West Lothian dying of suicide.
S.M.I.L.E, a local mental health charity offering free counselling to 11-24 year olds, recently reported that half of their clients are experiencing suicidal thoughts, up from a quarter of their clients before the pandemic in 2020.
The West Lothian Courier previously reported that CAMHS - the NHS adolescent mental health service - often sees struggling young people waiting over four months for an initial appointment making mental health support seem inaccessible to young people in West Lothian.
This makes campaigns like Max’s all the more important, supporting his peers by not only raising money for charity, but also raising awareness of the issue of mental health difficulties in young people across West Lothian.
Max Smith said:”I wanted to do the hike as I feel like there isn’t enough awareness for kids’ mental health.
“My family were really supportive during the walk and before I done the hike and it felt amazing to have their support.
“Mental health awareness is important as there are a lot of bullies in this world that can lead to children taking their lives.
“I think a lot of the problems with mental health in young people start with bullies or through family situations - which isn’t nice to hear about.
“I chose YoungMinds as the charity supports young kids and teens mental health - the charity also has a really strong story behind it.”
You can support YoungMinds by donating through Max’s fundraiser here.
Mental health support is available for free immediately, 24/7, by contacting Samaritans on 116 123 or the NHS mental health crisis support phone line on 111.
Young people in West Lothian aged 11-24 are also able to access mental health counselling for free through S.M.I.L.E - people of all ages concerned about their mental health can make an appointment with their GP for support.
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