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Recent Fundraising for Suicide Prevention

We are always super grateful to all of our fundraisers because they enable us to do the work we do and are a great way of spreading awareness for suicide prevention.

This week we have had  quite a varied bunch – We have had fabulous auctions, brave ultra marathon runners and a kind man called Joshua who did something quite individual! Josh took time to tell us his story below.

“For a while now I have been thinking of shaving my beard, whilst simultaneously seeking an opportunity to take part in doing something for charity. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to combine the both, and raise money for an important cause. Mental illness has affected me personally, and the stigmatism and discrimination that the illness still carries in 2019 is both shocking, and unjust. I have had a beard for so long now it has formed an integral part of my identity for many people (“oh josh, the one with the beard”). I plan to shave my head and beard on June the 1st, shortly after mental health awareness week.

“Raising awareness for mental health, in specific men’s mental health, is something I have been invested in for a long time. Men are roughly three times more likely to take their own lives than women and it is the single biggest killer of men aged under 45 in the UK. We live in a society that ascribes individuals a socially constructed gender role from birth, based on what is considered appropriate and desirable based on your perceived sex. These pre-determined gender roles reflect and reinforce how men and women should look, act and speak. We are taught that certain expressions of emotions should be attributed with ‘weakness’ and therefore are inherently emasculate. Whether intentional or unintentional the way we prescribe gender stereotypes upon people can lead to dangerous ways of thinking, resulting in men feeling isolated, helpless and hopeless. I hope by doing this I can highlight these issues and encourage you to reach out to the men in your life.

“I wanted to choose a charity local to me that was focused on working with issues connected to mental health. This is why I decided to choose Grassroots Suicide Prevention. I hope this helps highlight the importance of deconstructing the issues connected with mental illness. Please, talk to your friends and family, and educate yourself on the issues I have mentioned above. Also, visit the Grassroots website, and check out all the amazing work and campaigns they have done and continue to do.”

– Joshua

You can support Joshua and Grassroots at Just Giving.

Thanks to you all!!! Grassroots appreciate all the hard work you put into awareness building and fundraising.

Jack Thunder
Community Changemaker / Fundraising

Did you know 1 in 5 people will have suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives?

With your generosity, we can help people stay safe and provide the support they need in times of crisis