Two best friends caught up in the 2017 Manchester arena bombing have been shown around the brand new mental health facility in Aberdeen they have helped to fund.
Carmen Pritchard and Jago Stevens, both 11, had travelled down from Banchory to enjoy an Ariana Grande concert, cut short when a suicide bomber killed 22 people.
Working with their friends Willow Thorne, Evie Carter, Lewis Clark and Fern Pritchard, they have since raised close to £10,000 for the new child and adolescent mental health (CAMHS) centre.
Yesterday the Kids for CAMHS were shown around the £1 million Links Unit at City Hospital, which will welcome its first patients on Monday.
The facility will bring all of the service’s resources under one roof, with enough space to offer more than 850 hours of therapy each week.
Dedicated areas have been set up to cater for all youngsters up to the age of 18, with spaces for physio, a therapy kitchen and an intensive support facility.
Jago said: “We wanted people to have a place where they can come and relax and let their feelings out.
“Some people aren’t fortunate enough to have a place like this. We just want everyone to have somewhere they can get better.”
Carmen said: “It’s not loud or busy. It’s homely with a lot of colour.
“All of the waiting rooms are really similar so it means that if someone comes in it’s not too different for them. If they all changed it might be a bit stressful.”
She added: “We’ve all raised an amazing amount of money and this is also showing that kids can do a lot.”
The Kids for Camhs raised the sum by holding bake sales, a car boot sale and handing out flyers.
They are now planning to dye their hair blue as they work to generate further donations to purchase toys and artwork and create a therapeutic garden.
Clinical director for CAMHS, Lynne Taylor, said: “When families come in with a mental health problem they want to feel as safe and relaxed as possible.
“And for the kids, it’s away from the main hospital so it feels very much like it’s their own space to come to.
“This should make a phenomenal difference.”
