Many of you already know that my dear husband of 50 years, Steve Annett, took his own life on April 18th. Despite a very full and amazing life, a beautiful loving family and many close friends, he could not bear the thought of another bout of mental illness. He has left us all heart broken.

As we sit here with our grief, and the grief of so many dear friends and family, we have thought and talked about how we could have helped. The reality is, Steve suffered terribly with his mental health, and whilst he worked so hard to understand himself, clearly he could bear it no longer.

Sadly, suicide is not uncommon, the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45. We have been alarmed to find out that 50% of those with lifetime mental health problem first experience symptoms by the age of 14.

Schools can, and have an opportunity to play a vital role in providing stability and support in times of need. Children are less likely to suffer serious mental health issues later in life if they receive support at an early age.

We want to use Steve’s tragic decision to end his life as an impetus to address problems, whilst children still have the softness to change. We have decided to donate all of the money we raise to children’s mental health.

We have been overwhelmed with the amazing response to our original Just Giving campaign, but with more help we could do so much more. We are asking you to send this message as far and wide as you can to raise as much money as possible before the end of the summer, using this new Just Giving account.

Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated and the kind words you’ve posted with your donations.

With love and gratitude from the whole family.