Many of you already know that Steve Annett took his own life last month on April 18th. Despite an amazing life, a beautiful loving family and many close friends, he could not bare 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 the family of Steve Annett, 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 Place2Be, a children’s mental health charity. https://www.place2be.org.uk/ -

So far we are overwhelmed with the amazing response from everyone in raising funds for this important cause, 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 by the end of June.

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

With love and gratitude from the whole family