APP are delighted to announce we are taking part in the 2018 Big Give Christmas Challenge!

The Big Give Christmas Challenge is the UK's biggest on-line match funding campaign which helps UK-registered charities raise funds for their cause. For seven days, it offers supporters of participating charities the opportunity to have their donation doubled on theBigGive.org.uk.

We need to identify individuals or companies willing to pledge amounts of £100 or more. If we can gain over £1000 in pledged donations by 31st August 2018, then it's full steam ahead for The Christmas Challenge 2018 week, which will run from midday #GivingTuesday on 27th November until midday Tuesday 4th December.

The money raised will help us develop a new resource - A Guide to Parenting following Postpartum Psychosis. The guide will bring together practical tips from mums, dads and families who have been there, as well as from academic and clinical experts. It will cover issues such as building confidence and supporting bonding in the early days, through to ways of talking about PP to older children. We will develop resources for use with different age children to help parents talk to their children in age appropriate ways about PP.

If you know of individuals or companies willing to pledge amount of £100 or over, please get in touch.

>Read about our project: A Guide to Parenting 

>Make a pledge to APP's project

Meet our amazing sporty fundrasiers - there’s so much athletic activity going on! All links go to fundraising pages where available so please click through, read their stories and support their fantastic endeavours. 

• Harriet Emmerson is running the Great North Run on 9th September
• Sophie Green is running the Stafford 10k on 23rd September
• Rachel Evans is running the Royal Parks Half Marathon on 14th October
• ...alongside Helen Lynskey, also running the Royal Parks Half Marathon on 14th October
• Vicky Jepson (APP's media adviser) is trekking in Cambodia in November

Many thanks, and good luck to you all!

Congratulations to Joe Kettle who completed (his first ever!) triathlon at Dorney Lake on 21st July in aid of APP and ReThink Mental Illness, and raised £1000.

Congratulations to Megan Dodds, who successfully jumped out of a plane in a tandem skydive in aid of APP on 30th June, and raised over £1,600.

And thanks also to Gillian Seale and her daughters, for hosting a brilliant cake and craft sale in the Wirral on 16th June.

If you’re taking on a challenge for APP, or would like to, please let us know and get in touch - Email fundraising@www.app-network.org

Huge congratulations to Joe, who successfully completed his first Triathlon last weekend, in aid of APP and ReThink Mental Illness!

Joe battled the blazing heat last Saturday, 21st July, to cycle, run and swim the Triathlon course at Eton Dorney Lake in Windsor. 

Joe said: "Triathlon completed!!! £995 raised!! Two sore legs!!!  Keep up the good work and thank every single one of your staff for the work they do, without them people would suffer and not get the help or support they need. So a massive thank you to you."

Here's some brilliant photos of Joe from last Saturday:

APP says thank you so much for taking on this amazing challenge and for smashing your fundraising target too - such an inspiration to us all! 

Three Cheers for Megan who bravely completed her skydive in aid of APP on Saturday! Megan's first jump scheduled for the beginning of June was postponed on the day due to poor weather conditions, but the sun shone brightly last Saturday, 30th June, for Megan's jump to take place!

After Megan's jump she posted up on the APP Facebook page about her experience, and said: "I DID IT! Absolutely 100% the best thing I've ever done in my life...I enjoyed it so much, I'm booked in for a second turn at 3pm (at my own expense!) Thanks to everyone who has sponsored me, you've really made a difference!"

And for her second jump, she managed to persuade her sister and partner to join her! 

Megan said: "It was absolutely amazing! If you've never done one I recommend that you do. I simply can't put it into words how much of an experience it was. I'm so pleased at how much awareness we have raised as well, there are so many people who have sponsored me that simply didn't know about PP before. I feel so proud of myself and my family!"

Megan chose to jump in aid of APP after her sister suffered with Postpartum Psychosis in 2017, she said her sister "was lucky enough to be given a place in a Mother and Baby Unit in Leeds where she could be looked after by a psychiatric team whilst remaining with Ethan. They were accompanied 24 hours a day to ensure their safety and it is charities like APP that help campaign for these wonderful services. Hayley has since benefited from other APP services such as the use of other women’s stories to help process what has happened to her. Without this support Hayley wouldn’t have made the progress she has made in such a short space of time. As a family also recovering from this traumatic time we have benefited from the resources APP provide."

APP are also very proud of you Megan, and congratulations on completely smashing your fundraising target too, amazing!

You can still donate to Megan's JustGiving page here for the next couple of weeks.

Thank you once again to Megan for her wonderful support and heroic jump in aid of APP!

A big Thank You to Joe Kettle who is aiming to complete his first ever triathlon on Saturday 21st July in aid of APP and Rethink Mental Illness!

Joe's Triathlon takes place around the superb Dorney Lake in Windsor, and a former Olympic venue; it offers a fast, flat course with closed roads and ideal swimming conditions. The triathlon takes in a 400m swim, a 20k bike ride and a 5k run!

Joe says: "Most of you know I am very unfit, I haven’t ran for years and it’s been 3 years since my last fund raiser. On the 21st of July I am going to complete my very first Triathlon. I’ve not swam since a teenager and never really been a cyclist, so I’ve got to learn fast! But under pressure reveals true character and I believe with a strong mind anything is possible."

Please support Joe's amazing challenge and donate via his Virgin Money Giving page here.

APP wishes Joe the very best of luck with this enormous challenge and hopes he has a fantastic day at Dorney Lake!

Many thanks to Gillian and her daughter who successfully raised over £300 for APP and a local cancer hospice at their recent Craft and Cake sale in the Wirrall!

Gillian said: "For a long time my daughters Ishbel (7), Eryn (5) and Carys (4) have been very keen to do a charity cake sale after seeing one of their friends do one outside their house last year. So after Easter I decided we should give it a try and do a joint one for APP with my friend Michelle and her daughter Niamh (6). As they had a friend in the local cancer hospice we decided to make it a joint event with the money being split between the two charities.

We thought it would be good to do it at our local library who were very supportive and sat down with the children to discuss the details and set a date. After that the children made lots of cards and also handmade jewellery to sell and nearer the time baking cakes as well. We advertised with lots of posters and flyers. On the day we were quite overwhelmed with friends contributing and attending. My friend Michelle also received a phone call on the day of the sale from ASDA where she works to say they had seen her poster and would like to match the funding.

We were delighted to raise £350 which as a result of the matched funding can go to both APP and St John’s Hospice. Everyone enjoyed the day very much and are delighted it went so well."

It looks like everyone had a great day at the West Kirby Library last week!

APP thanks Gillian and her daughter for their support and huge effort involved in putting on this event! 

Friends of Action on Postpartum Psychosis are holding a CHARITY GALA at Overseal Village Hall and Recreation Ground on Saturday 14th July.

With over 80 stalls featuring new, nearly new clothes for all ages, shoes, bric a brac, toys, gifts and bargains galore! Plus a Dog Show and more...

The Gala is taking place on Saturday 14th July at the Overseal Village Hall & Recreation Ground, Woodville Rd, Overseal, DE12 6LU, from 2.00 to 5.00pm, with entrance fee of £1.

APP would like to thank all the Friends of APP for their consistent and solid support.

We hope you have a fantastic (and sunny!) day on 14th July - thank you.