This year, we introduced our 'LAD of the week' feature. The basic idea was to shout about all the awesome stuff you lot do. Don't get me wrong, we love it when you send in videos, stories and pictures of the funny shit you get up to, but there's a whole other side to young people in the UK which is rarely talked about.
We've got people raising millions of pounds for charity, helping each other out when they're suffering with mental health issues and even lending a hand to the homeless.
TheLADbible has a massive platform where we can put you right to the top and get the rest of the world to listen.
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Now, we're at the start of 2017 and it's a good time to look back on the stories we've shared so far. At the end, you can vote for who you think should be crowned our LAD of the Year. You can click on their names to read their full stories.
Let's do this.
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This group of 24 lads decided to honour the memory of their good friend, Dave 'Disco' Court, after he took his own life on July 8, 2016. They chose to raise as much awareness about male suicide as they could while also raising money for Movember.
Their most recent fundraising effort involved taking part in a massive relay race from Grimsby to Liverpool. It was over 150 miles and the team ran in pairs, completing the run in five mile stints.
They raised over £2,000 for Movember with this relay alone.
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In February, Chris Glaba went to the doctors regarding persistent heartburn. However, the reality was that he was suffering from stomach, kidney and liver cancer. However, Chris decided to take as many positives out of it that he could. He made a bucket list, and ticked them off one-by-one.
He always wanted to get married and have a stag do, so he 'married' his best girl mate in a fake ceremony. Possibly the biggest challenge was to organise a festival. Chris had always been a huge music fan, working in the industry as a DJ and a promoter. He also wanted to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support at the same time.
His mates put together Glabstonbury and Chris attended before he sadly passed away.
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Originally, we reported on Luke after he began buying a homeless person a hot drink on his way to university in Canterbury every day. This was normal for him as he liked to help out where he could. One day, a local business owner noticed him buying the drink and chased him down to offer him a job. Sadly, less than a month later, Luke died in a car crash. We awarded him the title of LAD of the Week posthumously.
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When Deano Lewis found out his friend, Kirsty Jade Mccaaron, was suffering from a rare terminal immune system-attacking disease, he knew he had to help. He decided to raise enough money to send Kirsty and her young daughter, Skylar, to Disneyland. He put up a status on Facebook and within 24 hours they'd raised enough money. The really incredible part is that he chose to keep their names secret as he didn't want them to know about the effort or be embarrassed. Since reaching their target, they agreed to reveal her identity.
They raised £2,500 and within 36 hours their holiday was booked and paid for. They even managed to ensure that it tied in with Skylar's fifth birthday.
Gavyn Emery
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Gavyn Emery, 34, decided that he wanted to do something about homelessness. Last year, he set up an initiative called 'Keep Bristol Warm'. Initially, he started KBW as a one-off charitable event. It's now snowballed. The group doesn't ask for money, only donations and time, something that many homeless people don't get from the average Joe walking past them on the street. The project initially started by asking people to fill a rucksack with clothes, a torch, ring pull soup, soap, shampoo and anything else you might think would be helpful. KBW then arranged a date, location and time where they meet and give the rucksacks to the homeless.
They've now branched out into a whole host of other activities. They wrap scarves around lampposts for homeless people to pick up (they have a note on them explaining) and they're also given through an event called 'I Am Not Lost'. There's a side project called 'Street Paws' where they hand out dog coats and food to the street dogs.
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Jamie Sweaton was listening to the radio when he heard that around 27 percent of children in Yorkshire are living in poverty and potentially wouldn't wake up to any Christmas presents. He recruited a few close friends, family and people he works with and collected as many toys as he could. He put posters on walls, in windows and spoke to as many people as possible to collect toys for less fortunate children.
All the gifts had to be brand new and unopened. Once he had them all he dropped them off to his local radio station which then distributed them out to kids in his region who don't get to open presents on Christmas Day.
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Danny decided that he wanted to do something different for Christmas. He sat down and thought about those people who won't be spending their Christmas Day all cosy in front of the fire surrounded by loved ones - namely, the homeless. He took the cash he would've spent on presents for his family and instead went out and bought bacon, bread, biscuits, crisps, and dog food and dog bowls (for the homeless dogs). He then recorded his good deed, and gave his family that instead.
So lads, who do you think deserves the title of LAD of the Year?
Let us know...
If you're struggling, get in touch with The CALMzone, which offers amazing support to anyone when things get tough.
The helpline and web chat service are open 5pm to midnight, every day of the year. Nationwide: 0800 58 58 58; London: 0808 802 58; Webchat: www.thecalmzone.net/get-help.
You can contact the Samaritans on a Freephone number - 116 123. Alternatively, you can email [email protected].
We want to showcase YOUR stories. What are you doing to benefit the community? Is your mate doing something awesome for someone else? Even if you're just helping your next door neighbour in the cold winter months - we want to know about it. Email us with your story - [email protected] and you could be featured next week.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Lad of the week