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We are hosting our annual A Walk of Glass and Fire event, giving fundraisers the chance to walk over broken glass and hot coals outside Suffolk Food Hall on Sunday 19 May.
And, for the first time ever, we are also offering junior walkers an opportunity to walk over 20,000 Lego bricks.
The most daring of walkers (12 and over) can also choose to take on all three for an additional donation.
Our CEO Jon Neal said: “We are thrilled to announce the return of our hottest annual fundraising challenge.
“Every penny raised through this event goes directly to helping us meet the increasing demand for our support across Suffolk as people struggle with the cost of living and face a long wait for statutory services.
“Of course this year is extra special as we’re building up towards our Lego walk – giving children under 12 the opportunity to join in the fun for the first time. You could say I’m ‘bricking it’ about trying it myself though after all the times I’ve stepped on my children’s Lego!
“As always a huge thank you goes out to our friends at UK Firewalk and our fantastic sponsors A&B Glass. We are all looking forward to some flaming good fun.”
Up for the challenge?
A Walk of Glass and Fire registration is £35 for adults or £15 for students and over 65s. We also encourage a suggested fundraising target of £100.
The Amazing Lego Walk registration is £10 and we encourage a suggested fundraising target of £35.
If you have any guests, please book them a free space along with your registration fee!
Entertainment on the night will include local choir the Pop Chorus – with no promises being made over covers of Walking on Broken Glass by Annie Lennox. The on-site café will also be serving a range of hot and cold snacks.
Shoppers lined The Thoroughfare in Woodbridge ahead of the official opening of the Mind charity shop on Wednesday 3 April!
This shop is a co-investment between national Mind and Suffolk Mind and sells a variety of vintage clothes, toys, jewellery, music and accessories. Profits will help fund the vital mental health services both charities provide.
Eamonn O’Nolan, Mayor of Woodbridge, cut the ribbon and welcomed shoppers to the store
He said: “I am particularly delighted to see Mind and Suffolk Mind move into this previously empty store.
“They are great charities who we have worked with before at the Town Council.
“Mental health is a huge thing for many people in the community – and it is great to get that message out there on the high street.”
Our CEO Jon Neal said: “This is really exciting. This is the second shop that’s a joint partnership between the national Mind charity and Suffolk Mind, the first being in Bury St Edmunds.
“There is lots of support for Suffolk Mind here in Woodbridge, we have lots of people who care about mental health and what we are trying to achieve – so I expect lots of support here for the shop.
“The national charity employs people who are experts in retail and charity shops in a way that we couldn’t do at Suffolk Mind as a smaller, local charity.
“Partnerships like this give us even more opportunities to accomplish our mission of making Suffolk the best place in the world to talk about and take care of mental health.”
Kelly Law, Mind Regional Manager, added shoppers have been knocking on the door every day for the last two weeks to enquire about the opening.
She said: “I am so excited to open – and shoppers have been just as excited as we are.
“We’re here to offer community services and provide a hub to come in, do a bit of shopping and have a chat. It’s a lovely place to visit.
“We’re always looking for volunteers and donations – so it is great to spread the word.”
Have items to donate?
The Woodbridge Mind shop is urging locals to visit the shop or get in touch to find out more about how they can get involved.
There are very easy ways that everybody can show their support such as donating quality items, volunteering in the shop or simply shopping at the store.
We would like to say a big THANK YOU to all of these fantastic businesses and individuals who have helped us raise vital funds for Suffolk Mind this April.
Barry Griffiths (Barr Personnel)
Barry at Barr Personnel kindly donated a Life Hacks for Young Minds assembly to the Year 9 group at Stowmarket High School and will shortly embark on a programme of fundraising, to enable other year groups to access this vital education.
Bidfood Stowmarket
Bidfood Stowmarket held an Easter fundraiser event at their office with all manner of games and prizes. They raised a fantastic £408.15!
Denbury Homes
Denbury Homes held a bake sale in aid of Suffolk Mind and raised £187! Thanks so much!
Fernando Fernandez
Fernando took park in the London Landmarks Marathon on Sunday 7 April and raised £420 for Suffolk Mind! Well done Fernando!
Fern Broom
On Monday 1 April, Fern not only completed a skydive for her 23rd birthday, she also raised £640 for Suffolk Mind which is a brilliant achievement.
Keith Carr (GB Bootcamps)
Keith held a charity bootcamp for Suffolk Mind on Easter Sunday in Chantry Park and raised £225. Thanks to everyone who participated. Keith’s fundraising page is still open, so if you attended and would like to show your support, please feel free to donate!
Newton Commercial
The team at Newton Commercial held an Easter Hamper raffle as part of a year’s worth of fundraising activities. We hope you had an egg-cellent time!
Phoenix Bike Park and MacKenzie King
On Saturday 13 April, the team had a stall at the Phoenix Bike Park Jam and held a game for people to win Easter eggs kindly donated by MacKenzie King. We managed to raise £160! Thank you all for your support.
Paul
Paul ran the London Marathon in aid of Suffolk Mind and raised more than £900. Well done Paul!
Steve Magnall
Steve ran Paris Marathon and raised a staggering £1,030. Steve said the run was “a really nice atmosphere. Lovely to have the French public shout ‘allez allez Steve!’”.
Simon
Simon ran the London Marathon in aid of Suffolk Mind and raised more than £500. Well done Simon!
Tracey
Tracey ran the London Marathon in aid of Suffolk Mind and raised more than £1,800. Well done Tracey!
Fancy fundraising yourself? There’s all sorts you can do on our events page or, if you have your own fundraising idea, get in touch with the team.
This month, we’d like to say a big THANK YOU to all of these fantastic businesses and individuals who have helped us raise vital funds for Suffolk Mind.
Amanda Lavelle
Amanda hosted a wonderful Wickhambrook Warm Space Coffee Morning, an ingenious community initiative enabling people to connect and enjoy time in the warm. The coffee morning on 14 February showed a lot of love for Suffolk Mind, raising £175.95.
Broadway Colours
Broadway Colours took part in a charity football tournament, making it to the quarterfinals! Commercial Director Laura Boggis and team captain Joe Allen co-ordinated this amazing team and have raised £250 for Suffolk Mind by choosing to donate money for every goal scored. What an amazing achievement all round.
Bucklesham Primary School
Bucklesham Primary School raised £129.53 through a delicious bake sale – we hope you all enjoyed the event, while meeting your need for food & drink!
deugro
Our new corporate supporter deugro kindly donated £500 to Suffolk Mind and Jon and Wendy thoroughly enjoyed meeting the team and discussing our work.
Golf day
A number of golf clubs have kindly given us fantastic support ahead of our patron Peter Basford’s golf day in aid of Suffolk Mind. Thank you to Newton Green Golf Club, Seckford Hall, Hintlesham Golf Club, St Audry’s Golf Club and Aldeburgh Golf Club for supporting with our raffle prizes.
Heidi Franklin and Debbie Lewis
Thank you to Heidi Franklin and Debbie Lewis from Natwest who invited Suffolk Mind to join them at the Milsoms International Women’s Day event on 6 March. Ellie, Julie and Gina from the team had a wonderful time!
Kaan and Koray
Young fundraisers Kaan and Koray, made and sold candles throughout December and were supported by our friends over at Wainwrights. A percentage of the profits went to Men’s Shed and Suffolk Mind and as a result, their fantastic entrepreneurial efforts raised a £650 donation to Suffolk Mind.
Knights Lowe
Knights Lowe have been enjoying egg-cellent cakes at their Easter Bake sale, adding an amazing £150 to their fundraising page. As a team they have already raised a fantastic £1,572 and give their fundraising a further ‘sky high’ injection later this year, when their team take on our Skydive.
Lee Reid
Lee Reid for his amazing fundraising efforts organising a charity football match in Leiston yesterday (Wednesday 27th March). So far, the event has raised over £1,600 inclusive of Gift Aid – what a result!
Milsoms Kesgrave Hall
We were thrilled to be one of the charities supported alongside Carole Sturman at Breast Friends at the International Women’s Day event at Milsoms Kesgrave Hall on 6 March. We loved meeting lots of inspirational women and were delighted that the raffle raised £1,130 each for Suffolk Mind and Breast Friends!
We also met some incredible people at the event who have kindly offered to support our summer gala through the donation of raffle prizes. Huge thanks to Ife Thomas, Mandy from DJV Boutique, Rebecca at Heritage Beauty and Lily from Noble Prawn for your generous support.
Needham Market Entertainment Company
The Needham Market Entertainment Company put on a brilliant pantomime of the Aladdin on 23 and 24 February. Our own trustee Katerina Budinova was there fundraising for Suffolk Mind during the interval with a raffle, which raised £589. Well done to all who performed!
Newton Commercial
Our charity of the year partner Newton Commercial raised its first £100 through an amazing burger smash. The burgers sold (and enjoyed!) have raised enough to keep our 0300 phone line running for four hours!
Notcutts
Thank you to Notcutts who have donated £1,000 to Suffolk Mind! This could help us to fully-fund 20 counselling sessions which is amazing.
Olly Magnus
Our patron Olly Magnus, hosted another hugely successful Sporting Lunch in support of The Darby Rimmer Foundation for MND and Suffolk Mind. The final total is still being counted, but we know people in the room were so generous. Fundraising on the day was further boosted through the event sponsorship by Emma Lightfoot of The Orwell Lady, gifts in kind donations from Alex Rayment, Paul Hutton, Fabio Wardley, Hudson Group, David Rowledge of Alchemy Wines and regular supporter of Suffolk Mind, Barry Griffiths of Barr Personnel. Plus, a generous whole table donation from Des O’Connor and Ryan Jones at Trailer Resources.
A highlight of the event was seeing guest speaker Zinzan Brooke perform the Haka – something we think no-one in the room will ever forget.
Steve Magnall
Steve Magnall is running the Paris Marathon for Suffolk Mind on 6th April, followed by the Ipswich Half in September. He has already reached 98% of his fundraising target, raising £980. Steve is going the extra mile (well several) for us – will you go the extra mile for him and add to his fundraising total https://www.suffolkmind.org.uk/giving-pages/paris-marathon-2024-steve-magnall/
Suffolk County Council
Suffolk County Council ran a programme of workplace events on 8 February for Time to Talk Day, organised by Jo Clements and team. This was a great opportunity for staff to think about and talk about mental health, and to consider the support available to them. While doing so, they also raised £194.83 for Suffolk Mind enabling us to continue to deliver and expand our services across the county.
West Suffolk Crematorium
West Suffolk Crematorium have kindly donated £2,000. This is a significant sum which could help us fully fund 40 counselling sessions.
The Wheatsheaf
The Wheatsheaf have had a phenomenal two years of fundraising resulting in £13,195 for Suffolk Mind. We wish this dynamic team every success fundraising for their new charity this year, in memory of a dear friend they recently lost. We know how much this team have valued fundraising for Suffolk Mind and the services we offer, and we are sincerely grateful.
Tunde Szekely
Tunde Szekely went to Poland to climb Mount Sniezka in support of Suffolk Mind. Tunde raised £340 for Suffolk Mind, exceeding her target by 70%!
Woodhall Primary School
The children at Woodhall Primary School held a vote earlier in the year to decide which charity to support during Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week in February. Suffolk Mind were the winners and we are delighted their fundraising ‘Dress to Express’ day, which raised an amazing £287.19. Julie and Gina from the fundraising team enjoyed a visit to the school to meet with the school council and PSHE lead, Mrs Copping, to talk all about Suffolk Mind and how their fundraising could run our vital 0300 line for 12 hours.
Finally, thank you to all of our fundraisers and corporate supporters who are spending the Easter break either training hard for future events or using the festivities to raise money through everything from Easter Hamper raffles to Easter egg competitions. We think you are all egg-xtraordinary!
Fancy fundraising yourself? There’s all sorts you can do on our events page or, if you have your own fundraising idea, get in touch with the team.
Mental health charities Suffolk, Norfolk and Waveney, and Mid and North East Essex Mind have teamed up to organise the Three Counties, Seven Piers cycling challenge on Sunday 9 June.
The sponsored event will see up to 50 cyclists ride 94 miles of East Anglian coastline, and through seven piers, with the aim of raising tens of thousands of pounds for mental health care.
Participants will set off from the Britannia Pier in Great Yarmouth and finish at Clacton, visiting other landmarks including Lowestoft, Southwold and Felixstowe piers on the way.
Suffolk Mind’s CEO Jon Neal said: “We’re always looking to create interesting and challenging opportunities for our fundraisers and supporters.
“Cycling along 90-odd miles of our beautiful East Anglian coastline will definitely be a stretch for many people, but it will help them meet emotional needs for Achievement, Status and Meaning & Purpose.
“It’s great to be partnering up with our friends and colleagues from neighbouring Minds to make an even bigger impact and raise vital funds for mental health in our areas.”
Anyone interested in taking on the Three Counties, Seven Piers challenge can register for £37 and commit to raising a minimum of £370 in sponsorship.
Participants will receive full support before and during the ride, from training advice given by British Cycling-approved coaches through to medical and mechanical assistance on the day if required.
Suffolk-based cycling tour operator, OnVenture, will oversee the event and provide bike GPS systems.
The route will include a refuelling stop at Southwold, lunch in Felixstowe and a river crossing by ferry from Felixstowe to Harwich.
All participants will receive a cycling jersey branded with each of the participating Minds’ logos, a selection of photos taken throughout the challenge and a finisher’s medal.
Want to sign up for Three Counties, Seven Piers?
You can sign up for Team Suffolk via our event page. For more information on Three Counties, Seven Piers, feel free to get in touch directly with our fundraising team.
Suffolk Mind’s first fundraising challenge of 2024 was Castle Guitar Quest, a guitar challenge which saw more than 40 people learn Ed Sheeran’s classic ‘Castle on the Hill’ in just three weeks.
At the end of the challenge, 27 participants performed the song at a gig at Framlingham Castle on Saturday 10 February.
Our CEO Jon Neal, also took part in the challenge. He said: “It was brilliant to brush up on my guitar skills and learn something new.
“Hobbies like playing instruments are a great way to meet our need for Achievement, as well Privacy if we practice on our own, or our need for Community if we are in groups.
“This challenge is proof of what we can achieve when we come together, and I’d like to thank everyone who has helped us raise money to support mental health in Suffolk.”
People of all ages and abilities took part in the challenge, with the youngest guitarist aged just eight!
Everyone who took part received access to daily online tutorials courtesy of Ipswich Guitar School’s Richard Deyn.
Friends and family of those taking part were invited to the gig at Framlingham Castle, where participants performed with Richard’s band. Not only that, but they were also taught how to play Mr Brightside and Summer of ‘69 on the day.
James Skeates, who raised £120, has experience of mental health challenges and wanted to raise money to help others.
He always wanted to play guitar and soon recognised the benefits of learning the new skill. He said: “Learning a musical instrument or any sort of hobby isn’t just a distraction, it’s doing something constructive.
“You’re learning which is good for you, and using your brain, but also it gives you that escape from what you might be suffering with and going through at the time.”
We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part. Plus a special thank you to Richard at Ipswich Guitar School and his brand, and Framlingham College for hosting the gig.
Take a look at our gallery of pictures from Castle Guitar Quest
Ipswich Town Football Club (ITFC) star Jack Taylor has helped Suffolk Mind launch The Mental Health Kitbag for young people to mark Children’s Mental Health Week.
The midfielder delivered an assembly and Q&A with pupils at Ranelagh Primary School in Ipswich on Wednesday 7 February in collaboration with Suffolk Mind.
Following the assembly, a group of pupils were introduced to The Mental Health Kitbag, our programme of workshops, courses and resources aimed to support young people’s wellbeing.
Jack said: “Looking after your mental health is incredibly important. You never know if someone’s down or struggling because it’s internal rather than a physical thing that’s there for people to see.
“As footballers we’ve all had to come through things like injuries or not playing, so it’s always important to speak to people and express how you’re feeling.
“The players all see their work with the Foundation as central to what we do as a Club so it was a privilege to be able to speak with the children alongside Suffolk Mind.”
There is a Kitbag for all age groups which features training sessions including EARLY Minds, Life Hacks for Young Minds, training for educators and activity providers, and more.
Our Children, Family and Young People’s (CFYP) Lead Louise Harris said: “Mental health affects us at all stages of life, and learning how to deal with it early is essential.
“With our Kitbag, children can access and learn the tools to understand and support their mental health in an age-appropriate way.
“By learning about mental health at a young age, we can teach people valuable skills to look after themselves and others as they enter their teenage and adult years.”
Find out more about The Mental Health Kitbag
Ipswich Town Football Club (ITFC) legends Simon Milton and Jason Dozzell joined Suffolk Mind for SuffolkForward Network‘s first ever event, encouraging discussion around mental health among businesses.
SuffolkForward Network is a professional networking club designed to share conversation and information to better support ourselves and loved ones.
The event took place on Thursday 1 February in Ipswich and focused on the importance of looking after our own mental health so we can help others – with talks from Simon and Jason.
Our CEO Jon Neal said: “When we’re on a flight we are told to put on our own oxygen mask first so we can help others, and the same applies with mental health.
“If we have the toolkit to support our own mental health, we will be better equipped to recognise and help when someone else is experiencing challenges.
“It’s a difficult time for everyone at the moment, and we want to be able to help as many people as we can. That’s why we’ve created the SuffolkForward Network.”
Former midfielder Jason opened up about his mental health challenges in 2019 and shared his experience at SuffolkForward. He said: “Mental health wasn’t discussed before. Nowadays it’s better, but it’s still here, especially in men.
“If you don’t reach out and occupy your time, you might find some struggles in your life. It’s very important to reach out, speak up and keep an open mind.”
Fellow midfielder, Simon, discussed the importance of looking out for each other and knowing when something isn’t right in yourself.
He said: “It’s ok not to be ok, it’s ok to talk. You’ve just got to find the right person you want to share that with, whether that’s family or a friend.
“Jason and I have been friends for years and when I could tell he was struggling, I was there to help. Now he’s in a much better place and I think everyone needs that, everyone needs to be able to share.”
Attendees were also invited to anonymously complete the charity’s Emotional Needs Audit which monitors how well people meet their 12 physical and emotional needs.
All membership revenue directly supports the mental health services provide by Suffolk Mind.
View the full gallery of pictures from this event.
Want to join SuffolkForward?
The next SuffolkForward Network event takes place on Thursday 16 May with a focus on taking care of colleagues. Find out more about joining SuffolkForward
Suffolk Mind would like to say a big thank you to all of our Charity of the Year 2023 partners, as well as our key corporate supporters.
From community groups to national corporates, you’ve all played a huge part in raising money to support mental health here in Suffolk.
So, in alphabetical order, thank you to:
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- Amber River East Anglia
Supported us with a family fun day, a large donation, and by pledging to our 2023 Big Give
- Axter
Helped set up a substantial scheme to support mental health training for schools on the Shotley Peninsula
- Bad Shirt Company
Collaborated with us on a fundraising product and donated percentage of each shirt sold
- Barker Gotelee
Sponsored our annual Fire Walk and have pledged towards our 2023 Big Give
- Barr Personnel
Donated a host of sporting memorabilia for auction, and have recently branded their company car to include our logo
- CIBSE
Supported us with a golf day and a charity gala
- Combat2Coffee
Collaborated with us, along with ITFC foundation, on the fabulous I’ve Bean Better campaign
- Credo Asset Finance
Held a fundraising cake off and have shared our events with their team
- Eastern Blues
Supported us this year as part of their 3-yearly fundraiser, a marathon walk
- George Baker Shipping
Sponsored our annual Fire Walk and took part
- GLO
Sponsored our first annual charity gala and have supported us with other events
- High Lodge Leisure Ltd
Supported us at their annual memorial shoot
- Highway Assurance and Barham Lakes
Climbed mountains (three of them, in fact) to support us
- Honey + Harvey
Helped us in so many ways, including two team members joining our 2023 Ipswich Half Marathon team
- Hunnaball (Suffolk)
Raised funds for both Suffolk Mind and Mid & North East Essex Mind along with their Essex counterparts
- Ipswich Haven Marina
Supported us with a fun day and collection
- John Grose
Supported us through an ‘Autotrader’ award and through their annual quiz nights
- John Lewis, Ipswich
Provided space in their foyer for charitable collections
- Kings Head, Hadleigh
Arranged a charity auction with Barr Personnel which raised over £5,000
- Knowles Fleet
Organised activities throughout the year, including a bake sale
- MAD-HR
Sponsored our 2023 Gala
- Magnus Group and our Patron Olly Magnus
Supported us through ‘sporting lunches’
- Marshall Wolfe
Supported us with a cake sale
- Matthew Douglas
Hosting a Christmas appeal to their customers later this year
- Newton Green Golf Club
Continued to support us for a second year as their chosen charity
- Onventure
Assisted with our Ipswich Half and contributed to our gala event
- Peter Basford, our Patron
Supported us through a charity golf day
- Paddy & Scott’s
Collaborated with us on not one but two fundraising products – donating a percentage of each item sold
- Pitkin & Ruddock
Sponsored our 2023 Skydive and put forward 20 of their own team to take on the challenge
- Pound Gates
Collected on behalf of Suffolk Mind at their Risky Business networking event
- SeaYou Café
Held family fun days and walked the Orwell Challenge
- SMART Garden Offices
Donated a fabulous garden room for our fundraising prize draw
- StrategiQ
Sponsored our 2023 Gala
- Suffolk Hideaways
Donated generously to our gala and took on the 2023 Ipswich Half Marathon
- The Club (Ipswich)
Supported us with our Fire Walk and various other fundraising initiatives)
- TMJ Interiors
Supported us in a variety of ways, including a Family Fun Day
- Treatt
Headline sponsored our Gala and various other activities, such as 100 miles in May challenge
- Unity Online
Supported us in many ways – from cooking pancakes to taking part in our Skydive
- University of Suffolk Rag Society
Now embarking on their fundraising
- Wheatsheaf, Tattingstone
Conclude two years of fundraising this Christmas, with too many challenges/events to mention!
Could you make Suffolk Mind your Charity of the Year 2024?
Choosing us as your Charity of the Year (or COTY, as we say for short), has a number of benefits, from bringing your team together, to demonstrating your Corporate Social Responsibility.
Julie Long, our Fundraising Manager, shares her top five benefits of making Suffolk Mind your COTY:
- Suffolk Mind is independent
Although we are affiliated with national Mind, we don’t receive any funding from them. So, we are reliant on our own fundraising income, including from our COTY partners. - All the money we raise stays in Suffolk
As we are independent, our services are tailored to support people across Suffolk. So, all the income we generate, including from our COTY partners, goes directly towards supporting mental health in our county. - We support people across the Mental Health Continuum
Our services support every level of wellbeing. Not only do we help those who are experiencing mental ill-health, we also raise awareness of mental health through our Resources hub, our training for schools, and our workplace wellbeing brand The Mental Health Toolkit. - Fundraising is good for you!
Supporting a charity can help you meet several of your Emotional Needs, including community, meaning and purpose, attention and achievement. By meeting your needs in this way, you can improve your own mental health. - We say ‘thank you’
Suffolk Mind take care to thank all of our supporters. This includes showcasing our fundraisers on social media, giving them a dedicated space on our website, and thanking COTY partners through our training packages.
Feeling inspired?
If you’d like to choose Suffolk Mind as your Charity of the Year 2024, please get in touch with our Fundraising team.
You can also set up a Corporate Giving page on our website. If you do, our team will be in contact with you soon to help you make the most of your fundraising efforts.
Finally, thank you again to everyone who has supported us in 2023!
A group of brave thrill-seekers have raised thousands to support mental health in Suffolk through our sponsored skydive.
36 Skydivers took to the skies on September 30 at Beccles Airfield, raising more than £20,000 (when including Gift Aid).
Funds were raised through sponsorships garnered by participants of the challenge.
Julie Long, our Fundraising Manager, said: “We are once again delighted with the outcome of our annual skydive.
“It has been incredible to see the bravery and excitement in everyone who took part – taking themselves out of their comfort zone to raise money for such an important cause.
“The money raised will help Suffolk Mind continue on its mission to make Suffolk the best place in the world for talking about and taking care of mental health.”
In addition to falling at speeds of around 120mph, participants were able to enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding area as they floated safely to earth.
Among the skydivers was Wendy Sheppard (pictured above centre), Corporate Relationships Manager for Suffolk Mind, who said: “It was a truly exhilarating experience, and believe it or not, I’d do it again!
“£20,000 is a fantastic amount, and it will help us to continue supporting mental health across the county through Suffolk Mind’s services, as well as with our training programme – The Mental Health Toolkit.”
The Skydive was sponsored by Pitkin & Ruddock, a Lowestoft-based air conditioning and refrigeration specialist, who also sent a team of 22 to participate in the event.
Their Managing Director, Damian Nunn (pictured below), said after taking part: “It was absolutely brilliant! It went too quickly, but I’d definitely recommend it.”
When speaking about the sponsorship, Damian added: “We wanted to do it for our people. We wanted to make sure our people knew they had someone to support them with their mental health.
“Everyone needs someone to talk to, and we’re delighted to support such an amazing charity.”
Julie added: “Thank you to everyone who took part in the skydive, as well as our generous event sponsor Pitkin & Ruddock Ltd – whose team of 20 raised an amazing £10,365!
“Thanks also to UK Parachuting for their help and support on the day.”
People interested in fundraising for Suffolk Mind can host their own event or challenge or take part in one of our upcoming fundraisers. Visit our events and challenges page for more details.
And, if you’d like to see more pictures from the Skydive, take a look at our Gallery.
Suffolk Mind is celebrating after being recognised at the Suffolk Care Awards for the outstanding care we provide.
We received the Health and Wellbeing Award in recognition of the work we do at our residential care home, Montrose House, in Ipswich.
Montrose House provides 24-hour support to residents with long-term mental health needs and is rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission.
Jon Neal, CEO of Suffolk Mind, said: “Ensuring the care and support Suffolk Mind provides is of the highest quality is always a priority for us. So, to be recognised with the Suffolk Care Award is something we take great pride in.
“Montrose House embraces the needs of each individual to provide a person-centred approach to their care. We work with mental health teams, GPs and other health professionals to ensure their physical and emotional needs are always met.
“Events like this truly showcase the high level of care we have available across the county, and we are extremely proud to be among them.”
This marks the second award Montrose House has received at the Suffolk Care Awards, having been named Care Service of the Year in 2017.
This year, the awards ceremony – organised by Care Development East, took place at Milsoms in Kesgrave on 21 September , with the team (including Gary and Jenna, pictured above) present to collect the award
Jon added: “Thank you to the Suffolk Care Awards for this recognition and congratulations to the other winners and finalists.”
Suffolk Mind is on a mission to make Suffolk the best place in the world for talking about and taking care of mental health.
Would you like to help us on that mission, and support our housing residents and tenants?
Take a look at our vacancies to find an opportunity for you.
With just a month to go before the Suffolk Mind Skydive 2023, we shine a spotlight on our sponsor, Pitkin & Ruddock.
We are so grateful for the support we receive from our corporate sponsors. Not only do they help us raise vital funds for our mental health services, but they also enable us to host unique and engaging events.
This includes the Suffolk Mind Skydive 2023 on 30 September, which is proudly sponsored by Pitkin & Ruddock. We spoke to Damian Nunn, their Managing Director, to find out more about the company and why they chose to support Suffolk Mind.
Established in 1954 with their head office in Lowestoft, Pitkin & Ruddock are refrigeration and air-conditioning specialists serving organisations across East Anglia.
Over the years, the business has grown to more than 70 employees, so they felt that now was a good time to partner with a local charity and support their local community.
Earlier this year, Pitkin & Ruddock chose Suffolk Mind as their Charity of the Year, before going on to sponsor this year’s Skydive.
Damian says: ‘We greatly admire the work Suffolk Mind do to support and provide information on mental health. The charity also supports some of our staff and their families, and it’s good to know none of us are alone.’
Pitkin & Ruddock also advocate for the importance of mental health in the workplace, with an ‘open door’ policy to encourage communication around wellbeing.
‘We want people to feel they can talk about their mental health, and that they shouldn’t be afraid to talk about it. Our “open door” policy is at every level, meaning our staff are able to talk to each other and be heard.
‘We encourage everyone to support each other, and to know there is somewhere they can go should they need confidential support.’
Damian Nunn, Managing Director at Pitkin & Ruddock
And, keen to support us and mental health even further, 20 brave members of Pitkin & Ruddock’s team have signed up to do the Skydive themselves!
Damian added: ‘The Skydive is a great opportunity for our team to come together, team-build, and have some fun – all while raising money for an important charity.
‘The Skydivers are feeling very positive, albeit with a mix of emotions, but we are all looking forward to the day.’
Feeling inspired?
There’s still time to sign up, with just a few slots remaining for the 8.30am session.
Visit the Skydive 2023 webpage for full details and how to book, or contact our Fundraising team if you have any queries.
We wish all of our courageous Skydivers the best of luck! And thank you to each and every one of our supporters for helping us in our mission to make Suffolk the best place in the world for talking about and taking care of mental health.
