The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry are at The Mix Volunteers’ Christmas Party

by Zoë Bailie (she/her)

Deputy CEO/Chief Development Officer

Monday 19th December 2016

Inspiring young volunteers from The Mix received a Royal thank you from The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and HRH Prince Harry today (19th December) at the charity’s annual volunteer celebration at London’s Harrow Club.

There was plenty of festive fun, building and decorating gingerbread houses. Guests were invited to thank someone special who has helped them in their life, by writing a message on a bauble to hang on The Mix’s Christmas tree.

Seven of The Mix’s outstanding volunteers were presented with awards in recognition of their achievements this year supporting other young people. Many made the transition to volunteering after using The Mix’s support services themselves and can speak from experience about the stigma around mental health.

Among the young volunteers meeting Their Royal Highnesses, was Louisa Futcher, aged 19, from Bordon, Hampshire. Louisa is autistic and has used The Mix’s support services herself since she was 14 years old and struggling socially at school.

Louisa said: “I’m so honoured to have my volunteering recognised by The Mix, it’s so important to give something back. I think it’s amazing what Their Royal Highnesses are doing for young people through the Heads Together campaign. Their openness has got everyone talking about mental health and that’s such a good thing – they’re making young people feel braver and less alone and we need that now more than ever.”

Chris Martin, CEO of The Mix, says: “2016 has seen the number of young people contacting The Mix who are struggling with their mental health rise even more. Every day we hear reports of anxiety, depression, self-harm and even suicidal thoughts.”

He continued: “The volunteers who work in our online communities and on our web chat and counselling services are absolutely crucial to ensuring young people get the support they need.”

“We’re delighted that Their Royal Highnesses were able to join us to celebrate the achievements of our amazing volunteers and see first-hand how The Mix empowers young people to support one another.”

If you’re aged over 18 and interested in becoming a volunteer for The Mix, we’d love to hear from you. It doesn’t matter where you live, as our volunteers can provide online support from anywhere in the UK. Please email us at: [email protected].

Media Enquiries:

For more information, please contact [email protected] or call 07910 154673. We can arrange interviews with The Mix’s CEO Chris Martin and/or our volunteers.

Notes to editors: 

About The Mix

The Mix is a national charity which offers confidential, multi-issue support to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of young people under 25 via their website, social media, web chat and email services.

Working through the channels young people turn to first, The Mix connects young people to experts and their peers to talk about everything from money to mental health, homelessness to jobs, break-ups to drugs and more. The Mix provides information and support services to over 2 million young people in the UK every year.

Whatever issue a young person is facing, The Mix is always there for them.

The Charity hopes that the awareness created by the event will help them to recruit hundreds more volunteers. For every £1.00 that The Mix invests in each volunteer, it gains around £4.00 worth of services for young people.

stg.themix.org.uk  0808 808 4994

Heads Together brings together The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry in partnership with inspiring charities that are tackling stigma, raising awareness, and providing vital help for people with mental health challenges.