'I wanted to fundraise at school for my cousin'

I was inspired to fundraise for Bipolar UK after my cousin Laura who lives with bipolar had a mixed episode (where she had symptoms of depression and hypomania at the same time). She was sectioned and treated in a psychiatric hospital over Christmas.

It was a really upsetting time for Laura and our whole family, and I thought it would be supportive to raise money for this charity.

I ran an assembly at my school all about bipolar

I ran an assembly at my school in which I explained the different types and symptoms of bipolar and how it can affect people. I told everyone how to notice someone might have it, how to tell the right people and give the person the right care.

I also explained a bit about Bipolar UK and how it supports people with bipolar and their families and gave some general mental health wellbeing tips such as being kind to yourself and others.

We raised money by inviting all the students in the school to wear blue and to donate £1. By the end of the day, we had raised a total of £250!

It was great to raise awareness

My highlight of the day was during assembly. Everyone started shouting out at once when I asked if anyone recognised various celebrities who have bipolar and still ended up having a good life. A teacher had to tell everyone to be quiet!

In each class we also created a wellbeing wall, with each student writing one wellbeing tip on a post-it note. It meant a lot to me to organise this event. It felt good to do something supportive for Laura and to raise awareness of the difficulties people can go through with mental health struggles.

It was also great to raise awareness of the support Bipolar UK can offer and how we can all be more understanding. I felt really proud after my assembly as a lot of people congratulated me, including students I didn't know.

Find out more about how can fundraise for Bipolar UK here