Before you share your story with us, please take some time to read the following information
We’ll be honest straight away, you need to be aware of the potential consequences. This story will be shared around on the internet, and could be read by anyone. We’ll do our best to moderate any comments that people make about it, but there may be times something slips past us.
So far, we’ve heard nothing but positive things from people sharing their stories, but there’s the chance that abusive comments may be made. Heads Above The Waves will work hard to ensure this doesn’t happen. To this extent, we want to be careful about what’s published, and try to protect you as much as possible.
It’s rad that you want to raise us £10,000,000 but you might be bummed out if you don’t reach that. Think about what’s a realistic amount to aim for, and if you do better than your target (which we’re sure you will!) then that’s just an added bonus.
It’s good to challenge and push yourself, but whatever you’re doing, make sure you’ve got someone qualified, with plenty of experience along with you who can help if things go a bit pear shaped. And if you’re doing something dangerous, make sure you’re wearing a helmet!
As well as keeping yourself safe, it’s important to keep everyone around you safe.
If you’re doing an event, make sure you think about any and all potential risks – and what you’re going to do to prevent them. If you’re doing anything to do with food, be fully aware of everyone’s allergies.
Anyone actually collecting money must be over 16.
If you’re going to be running an event make sure you get permission from the right people (venues, local authorities, etc.).
People should be aware of what they’re giving money to support, so if you want a reminder of where your money will go, or if you want to share it with your supporters, take a look here.
There are all sorts of legal obligations when running a raffle (who’d have thought, right?) but you can read the legalities here
We recommend the following template:
Please note: Don’t include graphic details, or anything that promotes self-harm
Your situation
- How old were you
- What was happening in your life that led you to self-harm?
Your experience
- What were you feeling when you first self-harmed?
- How long did your struggle with self-harm last for?
Your recovery
- What made you decide to stop self-harming?
- Was there a particular positive coping mechanism that worked for you?
- How did you discover this coping mechanism?
- Does it still influence your life?
- Why did this new coping mechanism work better for you than self-harm?
- What’s happening in your life now?
- How do you handle tough times now?
If you want an idea of how to structure your story, you can check out what other people have done.
Ready to share your story?
If you’ve got any questions or concerns about anything, feel free to get in touch with us on stories@hatw.co.uk
We read everything that we’re sent, but we can’t promise we’ll be able to publish everything. We’ll always let you know via email what’s going on.