TAKING A STAND FOR MENTAL HEALTH
Each year Children in Need highlights the vulnerability of our children but also offers hope that where the NHS so often struggles to provide services, the willingness of strangers, through the voluntary services and charities, steps up to support the need.
BBC Radio 2 presenter Vernon Kay is one such who 'stepped up' literally, running an ultra marathon from Leicester to Bolton, and in the process traversing the highways and byways of Derbyshire en route to raising over £5 million. An amazing feat and Derbyshire folk supported him along the way.
But our children's health is not just for one day but each and every day. Their struggles can be deep and exacerbated by many factors. Poverty, poor housing and educational challenges can be detrimental to mental and physical health. Our NHS needs to be properly funded so that not just the bare essentials are provided and that the health of our children doesn't ultimately rely on the support of charities and strangers, but is embedded in a fully funded and functioning Health Service.
The Lib Dems have taken a stand on Mental Health, not as a second thought or an optional add on, but as a fundamental right of every child and young adult to thrive.
Read more about the Lib Dems plan to improve Mental Health.