AN INITIATIVE which exists to raise awareness of youth suicide and address mental health has been awarded a grant by a police sponsorship programme.
Cameron Grant Memorial Trust is based in Solihull and has received £300 from Police Mutual’s national community sponsorship programme, Force for Good.
The initiative encourages those struggling with poor mental health to speak up and ask for help through the distribution of Cameron’s Coasters.
The coasters carry the message There Is Always Someone You Can Talk To and provide contact details for health organisations.
West Midlands Police Force had 20 winning initiatives, which together received £4,650 in charitable contributions from Police Mutual.
Officer, Frances George, nominated the trust, which is run by her sister and brother in law, Carol and Evan Grant who set it up after their son Cameron took his own life in November 2014, aged 21.
For over 150 years Police Mutual has been committed to helping serving and retired police officers, staff, specials and their families with their finances – and aims to support the well-being of the police community.
Force for Good awarded £50,000 in support of successful projects throughout the country, while over 200 initiatives received grants of between £100 and £1,000.
Stephen Mann, chief executive of Police Mutual, said: “At Police Mutual we are all about improving the lives of the police family, and we are particularly focused around financial, mental, physical and community well-being.
“Force for Good is now in its fourth phase, and it’s great to see even more members of the police family nominating local projects and causes close to their hearts, some of which they know through their local policing work.
“Yet again, we have been astounded by the impressive volume and quality of applications received. So far in 2017 Force for Good has received a total of 2,708 nominations, meaning that we are well on track to exceed the 2,986 nominations received across both tranches in 2016.”
The second round of this year’s nominations will open on September 1.
For more information visit www.policemutual.co.uk/forceforgood
