Parachute jump for Men's mental health on the 3rd of August

Hi, my name is Paul and together with Drew. We are going to jump out of a plane to raise funds for a men's mental health group. We will be jumping on the above date with Skydive St. Andrews.

We have both been affected by mental health in our lives.

Myself, when my whole world came crashing down around me and i couldn't understand what was happening and why. I was forced to take a long hard look at myself and realised that i didn't like who was looking back at me and had to make some changes. I struggled to comprehend when i changed in to a stressed out guy who couldn't admit there was a problem. I couldn't see the woods for the trees.

I found my light through attending a men's group run by Changes. I found comfort in finding out i was not alone. My time in the group helped me realise that for me to change, I alone had to make the change. No-one was going to do it for me.

I have recently become a volunteer for the group run by Changes, they have fantastic people working and helping men at various stages in their journey.

I will also be helping to facilitate a new group for peer support to help to continue to support men and their mental health, and give them a safe place to talk, not be judged, be given advice and support. This is why i am raising money. It will help pay the weekly fee for the use of the room and maybe some Tea and Coffee (biscuits optional).

Drew has seen the affects of mental health on friends and family that are no longer with us and has been a champion for men's mental health. He has been a volunteer for Changes for a few years and had the privilege to be part of many journeys. Some more successful than others. We will be splitting the monies raised between different men's groups to allow the essential help to reach as many as possible.

We met through the group i attended and we both have a passion for helping and supporting service users through their journey and time of need. We'd both love to raise as much as we can so we can keep these groups running for as long as we can.

We are hoping that this becomes an annual event and we can leave a lasting legacy.

Thank you for any support you can give.