A woman will be putting herself to the test after being inspired by her best friend.
Catherine West will be abseiling 150ft from the iconic Liverpool Cathedral in a bid to raise funds for the Young Person's Advisory Service. Established in 1966, YPAS provides mental health and emotional wellbeing services for Merseyside's children, young people and families.
But after seeing her friend, Jeanette Richardson, work through the lockdown and work closely with children and young people who need support, the mum-of-one was inspired to take action herself. The 50-year-old told the ECHO : "They carried on working during the lockdown and it was amazing what they did.
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"I was inspired to start donating myself, especially because there's a lot in the media around how children's mental health is worsening and there are massive queues and waiting lists just to get help. I saw the abseil advertised and I absolutely hate heights so I thought I'd challenge myself and bring more money to the charity.
"It's not much but it all helps and it helps those kids getting seen. My boy is seven and if he had conditions and needed help, I wouldn't want him waiting months for that. It's just incredible what they do.
"They are an overused service struggling for money. Listening to Jeanette and the pressure they were under during lockdown moved me. I was blown away by her personal investment and how much she wanted to help these kids.
"I heard on the news children's services are so stretched and I just wanted to help, so many need support. Being a mum, I just think if you can't get this stuff right at a young age, they will have these problems throughout their lives.
"You hear about suicide and it's so upsetting. I thought I'd push myself and do what I can. I'm scared but you've got to push yourself haven't you and it's for a good cause. We all need to try and do more to help these kids."
You can donate to Catherine's fundraiser by clicking here. More information about the charity, that helps thousands across the region, can be found here.
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