29 Oct 2017

Press Release: Local organisation Cameron Grant Memorial Trust in Hampton-in-Arden needs your support to secure vital funding

31 October 2017: Cameron Grant Memorial Trust, a local charity which raises awareness of young suicide and the importance of good metal health for all, is calling for the support of the local community to help win funding in the Aviva Community Fund 2017.

Cameron Grant Memorial Trust is relying on votes to win a £5,000 award to produce Cameron’s Coasters for schools, colleges, universities and other communities. You can learn more about Cameron’s Coasters in this short YouTube video: Could these drinks coasters save lives? (youtu.be/zs7RwUfeGLk) Only projects with the most votes will become finalists, so additional support before voting closes at noon on 21 November is vital.

The charity was founded by Carol and Evan Grant after the suicide of their 21-year-old son Cameron in November 2014. Cameron fought a silent battle with depression for over 7 years before he died, but this was only revealed in the letter he left his family. He had hidden his depression successfully from everybody who knew him. Carol and Evan have since learnt that ¾ of suicides are male and that suicide is the biggest cause of death of men under 50. 10% of young people, or about 3 in every school classroom, have a clinically diagnosable mental health condition, and 20% of students consider themselves to have a mental health problem.

Carol and Evan set up the Cameron Grant Memorial Trust in Cameron’s memory specially to help others suffering in this way. One of their goals is to encourage all, and especially young people, to speak up and ask for help rather than to soldier on battling poor mental health on their own. To this end, they have created Cameron’s Coasters; simple drink mats which carry the message “There is always someone you can talk to” on one side, and contact details for people who can help on the other.

Carol and Evan work with schools, universities, colleges and other communities to customise Cameron’s Coasters so that they carry the help details most important to each place where they are used. They have produced Coasters for communities across the UK from Shetland to Plymouth, and from Kent through London and the Midlands to Aberystwyth (in English and Welsh!) Cameron Grant Memorial Trust is always keen to work with new groups who can use Cameron’s Coasters and they make no charge. For further information, including galleries of all the Coasters produced so far, see their website: www.camgrant.org.uk/events/camerons-coasters

Carol says: “To date we have sent out over 320,000 coasters to 66 universities, 11 schools, 4 GP Practices, Poole NHS Mental Health, Ricoh Arena and Wasps Rugby Club, other local sports clubs, IBM, West Midlands Police Federation and the White Lion, our local pub. But there is so much more to do. We’d be really grateful for every vote we can get in the Aviva Community Fund.”

“Evan adds: We are proud that Cameron’s Coasters are being used in large numbers around the country, working silently in Cameron’s memory to encourage others to speak up and ask for help. We rely on fundraising for what we do and the support from Aviva is very important to us, so please vote for Cameron’s Coasters!”

To get behind Cameron Grant Memorial Trust and help them secure funding from Aviva to get more Coasters to more schools, colleges, universities and other communities, visit community-fund.aviva.co.uk/voting/project/view/17-5174 and submit your vote before noon on 21 November 2017.

There are no age restrictions, so all family members can register and everyone gets 10 votes in the Aviva Community Fund. Voters can choose to give all 10 votes to a single project and it would really help Carol and Evan if you gave them all to Cameron’s Coasters.

The Cameron Grant Memorial Trust gets all its income from fundraising. In addition to voting, you can support the work of the Trust directly by donating at TotalGiving: www.totalgiving.co.uk/donate/cameron-grant-memorial-trust

For more information on Cameron Grant Memorial Trust, visit www.camgrant.org.uk or facebook.com/CamMemorial

-ENDS-

Media Enquiries: For more information please contact Carol or Evan Grant on info@camgrant.org.uk or on 01675 443610

Notes to editors:

About Cameron Grant Memorial Trust

Cameron Grant Memorial Trust (Registered Charity Number 1167221) acts to preserve and protect good mental health, in particular in young people, by: 1) raising awareness of young suicide, 2) urging all who are suffering in silence to speak up and ask for help, 3) supporting all who are fighting to overcome poor mental health, especially young people, and especially where this can be done through outdoor activities like hill-walking and the Duke of Edinburgh’s award, and 4) assisting in the provision of education and support that will help to increase awareness and knowledge of the issues around mental health and well-being for all and especially amongst young people.

Website: www.camgrant.org.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/CamMemorial
Twitter: @CamMemorial

About the Aviva Community Fund

The Aviva Community Fund is an initiative that lends a helping hand to local communities by offering support and funding for inspirational local causes. For more information visit community-fund.aviva.co.uk

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