Three Mobile has apologised after customers were not able to send texts or make phone calls.
The company said it experienced a "temporary works issue" which affected its service during Saturday afternoon and evening.
It said that although calls have been restored they are working to restore a full service.
In a statement, Three said: "We have experienced a temporary network issue which has affected calls and texts during Saturday afternoon and evening.
"Calls have been restored and we are working to restore full service. We are currently investigating the cause of the service disruption. We apologise sincerely for any inconvenience caused."
Some customers reported that they had received misdirected texts or texts from unknown numbers.
The statement added: "We are investigating these incidences but if any customer is concerned about this they should contact Three customer services."
Customers are advised to "ignore all text messages that you deem incorrect".
The company was hit by a data breach in 2016 which saw personal details, including names and addresses, accessed unlawfully.
Sunday, April 23, 2017
Hidden Facebook Tricks You Need to Know
More than 1 billion people regularly use Facebook, but that doesn't mean they know all the hidden tricks for using the social media platform. Both Facebook and its messaging companion app are constantly being refreshed with new features and redesigns, which can make it hard to keep up.
Trying to ignore someone? Then you're probably not a fan of read receipts — that note that says "Seen" followed by the time or date you opened the message.
There's no way to disable read receipts within Facebook, so you'll have to turn to third-party applications. For Chrome and Android users, there's the Facebook Unseen App.
Attempt any of these methods at your own risk, as Facebook's Terms of Service state, "You will not do anything that could disable, overburden, or impair the proper working or appearance of Facebook." Plus, the Android app has received unflattering reviews from users, according to its Google Play Store listing.
Maximize photo privacy
What can people see on your Facebook profile? To find out, go to your profile, and select View As... from the menu button on the bottom right corner of your cover photo. Now you'll be able to see what your profile looks like to the public as well as to specific friends.
You might've noticed if you type "Photos of John Doe" into Facebook, you'll still see photos of your friend John Doe — even if he's set his tagged photos on his profile to private. That's because the friends who uploaded tagged photos of John have set the photos' settings to Public, Friends or Friends of Friends, and you fall under one of those categories.
If offending photos of you uploaded by somebody else are set to Public or Friends of Friends, then it's possible that people who aren't even your Facebook friends can see those photos. So how do you know which embarrassing photos might be visible to non-friends or friends? Go to your Activity Log (it's under the triangle-shaped button in the top-right corner). On the left-hand column, click on Photos, then select Photos of You. On the top banner, choose Public, Friends of Friends or Friends after Shared with: to see which photos of you are out there for which groups of people.
If a friend uploaded an embarrassing photo of you that's set to Public or Friends of Friends, your only options are to ask him or her to change the setting to Friends. (You could also ask him or her to set it to Only Me if it's that bad, or delete it altogether.) Or, you can untag yourself. It's a slow process to manually check your photos, but a thorough inspection should do the trick.
Facebook also added a new page that breaks down various privacy-related FAQs earlier this year. On this website, called Privacy Basics, you'll find answers to questions about who can see your photos and more.
Prioritize posts from friends in your News Feed
Many factors contribute to what shows up in your News Feed, such as the people you interact with most and the number of likes and comments a particular post receives. But you can make sure you don't miss new posts from your closest friends or family members by clicking the down arrow in the top right and choosing "News Feed Preferences." In the app, tap the menu button and then the "Settings" option to find this section. You'll then be able to individually select friends whose stories you'd like to see at the top of your News Feed.
Check hidden Inbox messages
Messages you receive from people who aren't your Facebook friends don't show up in your Inbox. They're in a different folder that most people think is reserved for annoying Event messages. So go to Messages and click on New Message Requests and you may find messages from friends or acquaintances that you haven't connected with on Facebook yet.
Here are eight tricks to make sure you're on top of your Facebook game:
Read old Facebook messages without scrolling forever
Get ready for a trip down memory lane (and for a great #tbt) without endlessly scrolling through conversations. The easiest (but slowest) way to see the first Facebook messages you sent to a friend is to download all your Facebook data, which you can do by going to General Settings and following the bottommost link. This can take hours or days because the function compiles every single message you've ever sent, among other data.
Here's a faster way: On Facebook for desktop, go to https://m.facebook.com/messages/. (This is the mobile site, and its URLs displays differently, which you'll use to your advantage.) Now click on a friend's chat. Right click on the button See Older Messages... and open the link in a new tab or window. In this new page, you'll see a long URL with a lot of numbers. Look for the part that says &start=7.
The "7" refers to the indexed messages that appear. Your messages are indexed from 1, 2, 3 ... from most recent to least recent. You're going to want to set that number as close to the total number of Facebook messages you've ever sent to your friend and refresh the page — this will get you straight to the oldest messages.
Of course, you may not be able to track down the exact number of messages you've exchanged with a friend. But if you're trying to view older messages in a thread that's carried on for years, setting that number to a high value in the hundreds will likely bring you back months, or even years, depending on how often you interact with that person.
Save posts for later viewing
If you don't have time to read all of the news stories that pop up in your feed, try saving them for later. Just tap or click the arrow that appears in the upper right corner of a post and select "Save post."
You can do this for any type of post, whether it be a link to a news story, a video, or some other type of media. After you save a post, tap the menu icon in the lower right corner of the Facebook app and press the "Saved" option. On desktop, just look under the Explore tab along the right side of the screen and click "saved.”
Read more: How much time have you wasted on Facebook?
Approve posts you're tagged in before they appear on your Timeline
You can't always control which photos and videos of you end up on Facebook. But you can prevent unwanted tagged posts from showing up on your Timeline. When Timeline Review is turned on, you'll be able to view photos, videos, and other posts you're tagged in and manually choose whether they appear on your Timeline.
Read old Facebook messages without scrolling forever
Get ready for a trip down memory lane (and for a great #tbt) without endlessly scrolling through conversations. The easiest (but slowest) way to see the first Facebook messages you sent to a friend is to download all your Facebook data, which you can do by going to General Settings and following the bottommost link. This can take hours or days because the function compiles every single message you've ever sent, among other data.
Here's a faster way: On Facebook for desktop, go to https://m.facebook.com/messages/. (This is the mobile site, and its URLs displays differently, which you'll use to your advantage.) Now click on a friend's chat. Right click on the button See Older Messages... and open the link in a new tab or window. In this new page, you'll see a long URL with a lot of numbers. Look for the part that says &start=7.
The "7" refers to the indexed messages that appear. Your messages are indexed from 1, 2, 3 ... from most recent to least recent. You're going to want to set that number as close to the total number of Facebook messages you've ever sent to your friend and refresh the page — this will get you straight to the oldest messages.
Of course, you may not be able to track down the exact number of messages you've exchanged with a friend. But if you're trying to view older messages in a thread that's carried on for years, setting that number to a high value in the hundreds will likely bring you back months, or even years, depending on how often you interact with that person.
Save posts for later viewing
If you don't have time to read all of the news stories that pop up in your feed, try saving them for later. Just tap or click the arrow that appears in the upper right corner of a post and select "Save post."
You can do this for any type of post, whether it be a link to a news story, a video, or some other type of media. After you save a post, tap the menu icon in the lower right corner of the Facebook app and press the "Saved" option. On desktop, just look under the Explore tab along the right side of the screen and click "saved.”
Read more: How much time have you wasted on Facebook?
Approve posts you're tagged in before they appear on your Timeline
You can't always control which photos and videos of you end up on Facebook. But you can prevent unwanted tagged posts from showing up on your Timeline. When Timeline Review is turned on, you'll be able to view photos, videos, and other posts you're tagged in and manually choose whether they appear on your Timeline.
Click the down arrow located in the top right corner of the screen on the desktop, and choose "Activity Log." Then choose "Timeline Review," and press the settings icon. A dialogue box explaining how Timeline Review works will appear on screen, from which you can enable the feature.
To do this through the Facebook app, just press the menu button, choose "Privacy Shortcuts," and then "More Settings." Tap the "Timeline and Tagging" button. Look for the option that says "Review posts friends tag you in before they appear on your Timeline?" and make sure it's turned on.
It's worth noting that just because a post doesn't appear on your Timeline doesn't mean it won't show up in other places. It may still appear in search results, in the Newsfeed, or on the Timeline of another friend who's tagged in the same post.
It's worth noting that just because a post doesn't appear on your Timeline doesn't mean it won't show up in other places. It may still appear in search results, in the Newsfeed, or on the Timeline of another friend who's tagged in the same post.
Disable read receipts
Trying to ignore someone? Then you're probably not a fan of read receipts — that note that says "Seen" followed by the time or date you opened the message.
There's no way to disable read receipts within Facebook, so you'll have to turn to third-party applications. For Chrome and Android users, there's the Facebook Unseen App.
Attempt any of these methods at your own risk, as Facebook's Terms of Service state, "You will not do anything that could disable, overburden, or impair the proper working or appearance of Facebook." Plus, the Android app has received unflattering reviews from users, according to its Google Play Store listing.
Maximize photo privacy
What can people see on your Facebook profile? To find out, go to your profile, and select View As... from the menu button on the bottom right corner of your cover photo. Now you'll be able to see what your profile looks like to the public as well as to specific friends.
You might've noticed if you type "Photos of John Doe" into Facebook, you'll still see photos of your friend John Doe — even if he's set his tagged photos on his profile to private. That's because the friends who uploaded tagged photos of John have set the photos' settings to Public, Friends or Friends of Friends, and you fall under one of those categories.
If offending photos of you uploaded by somebody else are set to Public or Friends of Friends, then it's possible that people who aren't even your Facebook friends can see those photos. So how do you know which embarrassing photos might be visible to non-friends or friends? Go to your Activity Log (it's under the triangle-shaped button in the top-right corner). On the left-hand column, click on Photos, then select Photos of You. On the top banner, choose Public, Friends of Friends or Friends after Shared with: to see which photos of you are out there for which groups of people.
If a friend uploaded an embarrassing photo of you that's set to Public or Friends of Friends, your only options are to ask him or her to change the setting to Friends. (You could also ask him or her to set it to Only Me if it's that bad, or delete it altogether.) Or, you can untag yourself. It's a slow process to manually check your photos, but a thorough inspection should do the trick.
Facebook also added a new page that breaks down various privacy-related FAQs earlier this year. On this website, called Privacy Basics, you'll find answers to questions about who can see your photos and more.
Prioritize posts from friends in your News Feed
Many factors contribute to what shows up in your News Feed, such as the people you interact with most and the number of likes and comments a particular post receives. But you can make sure you don't miss new posts from your closest friends or family members by clicking the down arrow in the top right and choosing "News Feed Preferences." In the app, tap the menu button and then the "Settings" option to find this section. You'll then be able to individually select friends whose stories you'd like to see at the top of your News Feed.
Check hidden Inbox messages
Messages you receive from people who aren't your Facebook friends don't show up in your Inbox. They're in a different folder that most people think is reserved for annoying Event messages. So go to Messages and click on New Message Requests and you may find messages from friends or acquaintances that you haven't connected with on Facebook yet.
EU Brexit negotiator says PM's snap election 'will not strengthen hand' in talks
The European Parliament's Brexit co-ordinator has dismissed the Prime Minister's claim that a snap election will strengthen her position in EU exit negotiations.
Guy Verhofstadt said Theresa May's decision to call a poll on 8 June - having previously said she would not go to the country before the end of the parliament in 2020 - appeared to have been driven by "political opportunism".
The former Belgian prime minister also said there was no guarantee the election of additional Conservative MPs at Westminster would give Mrs May more room for manoeuvre in the talks, as some observers suggest.
His comments are likely to irritate Mrs May, who has argued that an increased Commons majority would strengthen her hand in the Brexit talks, making it more difficult for the opposition parties at home to obstruct her plans.
Writing in The Observer, Mr Verhofstadt said: "The theory espoused by some, that Theresa May is calling a General Election on Brexit in order to secure a better deal with the EU, is nonsensical.
"Will the election of more Tory MPs give Theresa May a greater chance of securing a better Brexit deal? For those sitting around the table in Brussels, this is an irrelevance."
He added: "Many in Brussels remain concerned that the chances of a deal are being eroded by the British Prime Minister's tough negotiating red lines and her lack of political room for manoeuvre domestically, yet there is no guarantee that a sprinkling of additional Conservative MPs on the backbenches of the House of Commons will provide this.
"Indeed, it appears this election is being driven by the political opportunism of the party in government, rather than by the people they represent."
Guy Verhofstadt said Theresa May's decision to call a poll on 8 June - having previously said she would not go to the country before the end of the parliament in 2020 - appeared to have been driven by "political opportunism".
The former Belgian prime minister also said there was no guarantee the election of additional Conservative MPs at Westminster would give Mrs May more room for manoeuvre in the talks, as some observers suggest.
His comments are likely to irritate Mrs May, who has argued that an increased Commons majority would strengthen her hand in the Brexit talks, making it more difficult for the opposition parties at home to obstruct her plans.
Writing in The Observer, Mr Verhofstadt said: "The theory espoused by some, that Theresa May is calling a General Election on Brexit in order to secure a better deal with the EU, is nonsensical.
"Will the election of more Tory MPs give Theresa May a greater chance of securing a better Brexit deal? For those sitting around the table in Brussels, this is an irrelevance."
He added: "Many in Brussels remain concerned that the chances of a deal are being eroded by the British Prime Minister's tough negotiating red lines and her lack of political room for manoeuvre domestically, yet there is no guarantee that a sprinkling of additional Conservative MPs on the backbenches of the House of Commons will provide this.
"Indeed, it appears this election is being driven by the political opportunism of the party in government, rather than by the people they represent."
North Korea 'ready to sink' US aircraft carrier
North Korea has warned it is prepared to sink an American aircraft carrier, as Japanese navy vessels joined a US "armada" for exercises in the western Pacific.
The USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group was ordered to head towards the Korean Peninsula as tensions rose over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile ambitions.
US vice-president Mike Pence has said it should arrive "within days" after it carried out a short training exercise with Australian forces.
:: 'Armada' was heading wrong way
"Our revolutionary forces are combat-ready to sink a US nuclear powered aircraft carrier with a single strike," the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the North's ruling Workers' Party, said in a commentary.
It added that the strike would be "an actual example to show our military's force" and called the aircraft carrier a "gross animal".
The remarks on page three of the paper came after a two-page feature about leader Kim Jong-Un's visit to a pig farm.
Two Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers left Sasebo port in southern Japan on Friday to join the USS Carl Vinson strike group, which also includes a guided-missile cruiser and a guided-missile destroyer.
The joint exercises, which have been described as "routine" by Tokyo, were expected to last several days.
North Korea further raised tensions with the arrest of a Korean-American at Pyongyang airport as he attempted to leave the country.
Tony Kim had been teaching accounting at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology for a month.
Pyongyang has warned it will respond to any US aggression and has threatened to lay waste to South Korea and Japan.
North Korea has also threatened a nuclear strike on Canberra after urging Australia to think twice before "blindly and zealously toeing the US line".
"If Australia persists in following the US' moves to isolate and stifle North Korea... this will be a suicidal act," a North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said after Mr Pence's visit to Australia.
Australia's foreign minister, Julie Bishop, responded by saying the North Korean government "should invest in the welfare of its long-suffering citizens, rather than weapons of mass destruction".
China's foreign minister appealed for calm during a visit to Greece.
"We need to issue peaceful and rational sounds," Wang Yi said.
The USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group was ordered to head towards the Korean Peninsula as tensions rose over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile ambitions.
US vice-president Mike Pence has said it should arrive "within days" after it carried out a short training exercise with Australian forces.
:: 'Armada' was heading wrong way
"Our revolutionary forces are combat-ready to sink a US nuclear powered aircraft carrier with a single strike," the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the North's ruling Workers' Party, said in a commentary.
It added that the strike would be "an actual example to show our military's force" and called the aircraft carrier a "gross animal".
The remarks on page three of the paper came after a two-page feature about leader Kim Jong-Un's visit to a pig farm.
Two Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers left Sasebo port in southern Japan on Friday to join the USS Carl Vinson strike group, which also includes a guided-missile cruiser and a guided-missile destroyer.
The joint exercises, which have been described as "routine" by Tokyo, were expected to last several days.
North Korea further raised tensions with the arrest of a Korean-American at Pyongyang airport as he attempted to leave the country.
Tony Kim had been teaching accounting at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology for a month.
Pyongyang has warned it will respond to any US aggression and has threatened to lay waste to South Korea and Japan.
North Korea has also threatened a nuclear strike on Canberra after urging Australia to think twice before "blindly and zealously toeing the US line".
"If Australia persists in following the US' moves to isolate and stifle North Korea... this will be a suicidal act," a North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said after Mr Pence's visit to Australia.
Australia's foreign minister, Julie Bishop, responded by saying the North Korean government "should invest in the welfare of its long-suffering citizens, rather than weapons of mass destruction".
China's foreign minister appealed for calm during a visit to Greece.
"We need to issue peaceful and rational sounds," Wang Yi said.
Erin Moran, who played Joanie Cunningham in Happy Days, dies aged 56
Erin Moran, who played Joanie Cunningham in the sitcoms Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi, has died aged 56.
Police in Harrison County, Indiana, said the former child star was found unresponsive after authorities received an emergency call. The cause of her death has not been determined.
Californian-born Moran began acting in TV and movies before she was 10 years old and joined the cast in Happy Days as Joanie, the kid sister to Ron Howard's Richie Cunningham, in 1974.
Her other co-stars included Tom Bosley and Marion Ross as Joanie's parents and Henry Winkler as the loveable tough guy Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli.
"What happened with all of us was like we were this family," Moran told Xfinity in 2009. "It was so surreal with all the cast members. They were my family, get it?"
The show was set in 1950s Milwaukee and became a long-running hit. Howard and Winkler were the show's biggest stars, but the smiling, freckle-faced Moran also became popular.
In 1982, she was paired off with fellow Happy Days performer Scott Baio in the short-lived spin-off Joanie Loves Chachi.
Moran returned to Happy Days in 1984, the show's final season.
On news of her death, Howard tweeted: "Such sad sad news. RIP Erin. I'll always choose to remember you on our show making scenes better, getting laughs and lighting up TV screens."
"OH Erin... now you will finally have the peace you wanted so badly here on earth," Winkler tweeted. "Rest In It serenely now... too soon."
Moran's more recent credits included The Love Boat and Murder, She Wrote, but she never approached the success of Happy Days and endured numerous personal and financial struggles. She was reportedly homeless at times.
In 2011, she and Ross and former Happy Days actors Anson Williams and Donnie Most sued CBS, saying they were owed money for merchandising related to the show. The lawsuit was settled the following year.
Police in Harrison County, Indiana, said the former child star was found unresponsive after authorities received an emergency call. The cause of her death has not been determined.
Californian-born Moran began acting in TV and movies before she was 10 years old and joined the cast in Happy Days as Joanie, the kid sister to Ron Howard's Richie Cunningham, in 1974.
Her other co-stars included Tom Bosley and Marion Ross as Joanie's parents and Henry Winkler as the loveable tough guy Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli.
"What happened with all of us was like we were this family," Moran told Xfinity in 2009. "It was so surreal with all the cast members. They were my family, get it?"
The show was set in 1950s Milwaukee and became a long-running hit. Howard and Winkler were the show's biggest stars, but the smiling, freckle-faced Moran also became popular.
In 1982, she was paired off with fellow Happy Days performer Scott Baio in the short-lived spin-off Joanie Loves Chachi.
Moran returned to Happy Days in 1984, the show's final season.
On news of her death, Howard tweeted: "Such sad sad news. RIP Erin. I'll always choose to remember you on our show making scenes better, getting laughs and lighting up TV screens."
"OH Erin... now you will finally have the peace you wanted so badly here on earth," Winkler tweeted. "Rest In It serenely now... too soon."
Moran's more recent credits included The Love Boat and Murder, She Wrote, but she never approached the success of Happy Days and endured numerous personal and financial struggles. She was reportedly homeless at times.
In 2011, she and Ross and former Happy Days actors Anson Williams and Donnie Most sued CBS, saying they were owed money for merchandising related to the show. The lawsuit was settled the following year.
France presidential elections: Polls open as first round of voting begins
Polling stations have now opened across France for millions to cast their votes in the most unpredictable presidential election in decades and one which will be a test of voters' anger with the political establishment.
Amid tight security people will make their choices after a campaign which pitted the far-right against the far-left with the traditional centre parties of France struggling to make ground.
Four candidates are currently in a position to bag one of the two first-round places which would take them into a final run-off.
With a third of voters still undecided in the final days of campaigning, any one of them could make it through.
The economy and jobs have been the dominant issues of the election but security was thrust to the fore after an armed gunman brought chaos to the Champs-Elysees in the French capital on Thursday - the night before the final day of campaigning.
While candidates cancelled major rallies and events, some spoke out on security and terrorism, leading to criticism they were exploiting tragic events for political purposes.
Security has been intensified to ensure the election goes ahead without any problems.
Some 50,000 police and 7,000 soldiers will be deployed across France to protect voters.
Authorities in Paris have offered additional guards for any polling station that needs extra support.
Close to 47 million people are eligible to vote in the election, with 1.3 million of them living abroad.
French overseas territories and French residents living in the US and Canada began voting on Saturday.
The result will be as keenly watched around the world as in France to see whether the populist tide which delivered Brexit to the UK and Donald Trump to America is still at play.
The two candidates who get the most votes in the first round will advance to the second round in two weeks when a new French president will be chosen.
But surveys suggest many voters won't vote at all with abstention rates predicted to hit a record high - a sign in part of people's disillusionment with politics.
Some 57,000 polling stations will be open across the country with exit polls expected soon after the final ones close at 8pm (local time).
Amid tight security people will make their choices after a campaign which pitted the far-right against the far-left with the traditional centre parties of France struggling to make ground.
Four candidates are currently in a position to bag one of the two first-round places which would take them into a final run-off.
With a third of voters still undecided in the final days of campaigning, any one of them could make it through.
The economy and jobs have been the dominant issues of the election but security was thrust to the fore after an armed gunman brought chaos to the Champs-Elysees in the French capital on Thursday - the night before the final day of campaigning.
While candidates cancelled major rallies and events, some spoke out on security and terrorism, leading to criticism they were exploiting tragic events for political purposes.
Security has been intensified to ensure the election goes ahead without any problems.
Some 50,000 police and 7,000 soldiers will be deployed across France to protect voters.
Authorities in Paris have offered additional guards for any polling station that needs extra support.
Close to 47 million people are eligible to vote in the election, with 1.3 million of them living abroad.
French overseas territories and French residents living in the US and Canada began voting on Saturday.
The result will be as keenly watched around the world as in France to see whether the populist tide which delivered Brexit to the UK and Donald Trump to America is still at play.
The two candidates who get the most votes in the first round will advance to the second round in two weeks when a new French president will be chosen.
But surveys suggest many voters won't vote at all with abstention rates predicted to hit a record high - a sign in part of people's disillusionment with politics.
Some 57,000 polling stations will be open across the country with exit polls expected soon after the final ones close at 8pm (local time).
Harry, William and Kate shun marathon limelight to allow focus on mental awareness
Prince Harry has told Sky News he considered running this year's London Marathon but wanted the focus to be on the runners raising awareness of mental health.
Heads Together, the campaign launched by Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, is the main charity partner for this year's London Marathon.
The three of them will be cheering on the thousands pounding the pavements through the capital as they hope to make this the "mental health marathon".
Asked if any of them had considered taking on the 26.2 mile challenge, Prince Harry said: "Yes I think all three of us were tempted, but it was probably safer and easier for us not to and to try and do our best to lead the campaign and let the focus be on the Heads Together runners which was 200 and is now 700."
This week the three royals have ramped up the awareness campaign, sharing their own personal experiences, in an attempt to break down the stigma around mental illness and encourage people to talk with the hashtag #oktosay.
While many of the 39,000 runners are doing the marathon for other causes and charities they've all been given Heads Together branded headbands to wear.
Paul Scates and his father Norman will be running for Heads Together and the charity Young Minds. When Paul was 16, while experiencing psychosis and paranoia, he attempted to take his own life and broke his back.
Talking about how he will feel taking part in the marathon, Paul said: "For me, the fact that I broke my back when I was 16, and that running has saved my life basically - the exhilaration, with a bit of anxiety, the exhilaration I'm going to feel is massive."
It's anticipated the marathon will raise millions for mental health charities.
Figures seen by Sky News show that many of the eight charity partners for Heads Together, have already seen a huge increase in demand for their services.
Sarah Brennan, chief executive of Young Minds, said it has also boosted their lobbying power as charities push for more government funding.
Heads Together, the campaign launched by Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, is the main charity partner for this year's London Marathon.
The three of them will be cheering on the thousands pounding the pavements through the capital as they hope to make this the "mental health marathon".
Asked if any of them had considered taking on the 26.2 mile challenge, Prince Harry said: "Yes I think all three of us were tempted, but it was probably safer and easier for us not to and to try and do our best to lead the campaign and let the focus be on the Heads Together runners which was 200 and is now 700."
This week the three royals have ramped up the awareness campaign, sharing their own personal experiences, in an attempt to break down the stigma around mental illness and encourage people to talk with the hashtag #oktosay.
While many of the 39,000 runners are doing the marathon for other causes and charities they've all been given Heads Together branded headbands to wear.
Paul Scates and his father Norman will be running for Heads Together and the charity Young Minds. When Paul was 16, while experiencing psychosis and paranoia, he attempted to take his own life and broke his back.
Talking about how he will feel taking part in the marathon, Paul said: "For me, the fact that I broke my back when I was 16, and that running has saved my life basically - the exhilaration, with a bit of anxiety, the exhilaration I'm going to feel is massive."
It's anticipated the marathon will raise millions for mental health charities.
Figures seen by Sky News show that many of the eight charity partners for Heads Together, have already seen a huge increase in demand for their services.
Sarah Brennan, chief executive of Young Minds, said it has also boosted their lobbying power as charities push for more government funding.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)