19 Dec Alcocks and Hills proudly support Mentell
Over the last three years, Alcocks and Hills have proudly supported Mentell.
Mentell is a national men’s mental health charity that provides safe and confidential spaces for men aged 18+ to talk, free from advice and judgment.
We first became aware of this wonderful charity in 2021 when Sarah, our director, was invited to attend an event where some brave chaps told their story, shining a light on men’s mental health, with the support from the local community and team members from Mentell. Sarah then got to know Jo Mellor, who lost her son Vittorio to suicide and now works tirelessly as Mentell’s Community Manager.
Not long after, we were honoured to conduct the funeral of George Thompson, and as we got to know his family, we learned they, too, were aware of Mentell and were seeking support from them. Dave, George’s Dad, went on to become part of our casual driver/bearer team and is a fierce advocate for the charity; by sharing his story with universities and businesses, taking on challenges and raising funds, and raising awareness for Mentell by encouraging companies to turn their Barbers and Bars blue.
We have supported Mentell for a few years now through both personal (from Directors Sarah and Barbara Parker) and business donations, holding a raffle at Alcocks 160th Anniversary Celebrations, and more recently, holding a Flower Arranging Evening. We are thrilled to have donated over £3,000 to this incredible cause!
To put the amount we have raised into context;
- £5 – gets one man to circle
- £50 – keeps an online circle running for a month
- £250 – trains a Mentell facilitator
We also aim to raise awareness of Mentells vital work; we have their information leaflets available in all of our arrangement lounges, and further information and contacts are available on our website. We also share their work across our social media and have even turned George Hill Funeral Directors blue!
Our latest fundraiser was a Flower Arranging Workshop in November, which raised a fantastic £400! It was a wonderful evening, 20 ladies paid to come to the event, and with the expert guidance of a qualified florist and tutor, Sarah, from the Floral Mill, created a beautiful Autumnal Hand-Tied Bouquet to take home.
We would like to say a huge thank you to Sarah from The Floral Mill for donating her time and skills, to Cheadle Sports Club for gifting the venue and a glass of fizz for everyone, and to Siobhan from Posh Butties for providing a delicious cheese and savoury snack board for us to enjoy.
We are looking forward to holding more fundraising events for Mentell next year, and thanks to the success of the Flower Arranging Workshop, we will be holding another of these events in the springtime.
There were 6069 deaths by suicide in 2023, and it is fact that men are more likely to follow through with a suicide attempt than women, so the work of Mentell is more critical than ever.
If you would like to join us in supporting Mentell, keep an eye on our website and social media, where we will promote the events we are planning, whether you can attend, gift a raffle prize, make a donation, or turn your workplace blue – it all really does help.
If you are struggling, please do talk to someone, here are some charities that can help:
