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The 2020 Charity Partner is.....James' Place

Posted by Narinder Uniacke on 8th June 2020

The October Club is delighted to announce that their charity for 2020 is James' Place

Suicide is the leading cause of death for men under 50, and James’ Place exists to help men in suicidal crisis to find hope for the future. The charity was set up by Clare Milford Haven and Nick Wentworth-Stanley after their twenty-one-year-old son, James, died by suicide ten days after a minor operation. James had no history of mental illness or depression and had sought urgent help for anxiety and suicidal thoughts, but didn’t find it.  The first James’ Place opened in Liverpool in 2018.

James’ Place is now working to open up a new centre in London to respond to the need that we know is there and is likely to grow. We believe every suicide is preventable. Suicidal crises are associated with isolation, hardship, loneliness and relationship breakdown, and finding the right help when men need it most is crucial.

James' Place exists to make the experience of finding help as easy as possible, offering men who are experiencing a suicidal crisis a brief, intensive, therapeutic intervention in a safe environment. Men who walk through the door at James’ Place will be in a space where they feel valued and respected.

Ellen O'Donoughue, Executive Director, James' Place said:

“The need for our work in East London is urgent and we are honoured that The October Club has chosen to support our vital work.  Through this partnership we will transform the help available for men facing a suicidal crisis in Hackney and the City. With The October Club’s support, we will be able to establish a physical home for our new London service and provide a permanent resource which works in partnership with the local community and the NHS, providing our intervention to those who need it most. We will be working with academic partners to assess, evaluate and improve our work so that the impact will be felt beyond the environment of the new centre, as we work towards the transformation of support for men in suicidal crisis across the UK.”

Henry Knapman, Chairman of The October Club said:

“The October Club has a long history of supporting smaller charities and their transformational projects. We have a transparent and thorough application and selection process and are delighted to announce that, from many initial applications, our 2020 charity will be James’ Place. Male suicide is tragically common and the Financial Services industry, from where most of our October Club supporters come, is often impacted. Sadly the current health and economic crisis will likely lead to increased loneliness, isolation and hardship, so it is a particularly important time for a charity like James’ Place. We are delighted that, with our funding, they will bring the expertise and interventions they have developed in Liverpool to a new centre in London at a time when demand for their help is, unfortunately, likely to grow.”

We hope that you will join us in trying to raise as much money as possible for this truly amazing cause.

www.theoctoberclub.co.uk

www.jamesplace.org.uk

Notes: For the past 32 years The October Club has been transforming good causes. Each year we identify a UK-based charity with a project, or projects, in several UK regions which could be transformed with our funding. In total the Club has now raised just over £11m and in recent years the average raised per dinner has been £500k, making our event the single biggest of its kind in the sector today.