The University of Bradford has chosen us as its local RAG charity for the 18/19 academic year! Over the years the University has worked hard to raise money for a number of fantastic charities through creative challenges and fundraising events, and we can’t wait to see what they get up to this year.

Starting university can be daunting for many students, it’s a big life change and there’s a lot to think about – living away from home for the first time and making new friends are just a couple of the common worries for Freshers. Student mental health and wellbeing has been increasingly reported on in recent months and it seems imperative, now more than ever, that we look to evaluate what we can do as a community to support young people in higher education across the region.

Our crisis support service, known as Haven, offers a calm and friendly alternative to A&E for people in mental distress 365 days a year. It’s available to people who live in Bradford, Airedale, Wharfedale or Craven. Haven is a non-clinical, supportive environment designed to help people in crisis stay safe, work through and understand their feelings, and then support them to access the support they need going forward.

You can access Haven if you are over the age of 18 and feel at the point of crisis (if you are under 18 you can still ring First response for support). Haven can be accessed by calling the First Response telephone number on 01274 221181.

We look forward to working with the University of Bradford this year – keep an eye on our blog for fundraising updates and guest posts from our new friends!