This April, I will be running the London Marathon to raise awareness and funds for the Joey Beauchamp Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting others.

Many of us suffer from poor mental health, and Suicide is the biggest killer in men under 50.

125 people die by suicide every week in the UK. That’s 18 people a day. One every 90 minutes. The time it takes to watch a football game.

In fact, 1 in 4 of us will have suicidal thoughts at some point in our lives.

Named in honour of former Oxford United player Joey Beauchamp, the Foundation is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of individuals through dedicated outreach and initiatives.

The preservation and protection of good mental health and the saving of lives in particular but not exclusively by:

a. promoting counselling and support to individuals and families in need of such due to mental health issues.

b. making grants to organisations to enable such persons to receive support and fund counselling and support programmes.

c. to publicise and promote the resources available for supporting mental health and suicide prevention to the public.

d. to promote to the public the understanding of the issues surrounding mental health and suicide to encourage discussions, sharing and conversations to take place in such circumstances.

e. to educate people about mental health resilience and suicide prevention

WHO

The Joey Beauchamp Foundation is a charity established in memory of Oxford legend Joey Beauchamp, bringing together families, supporters, clubs, and communities to champion better mental health. We work with individuals, local groups, schools, clubs, and partner organisations to ensure people in need can access support, guidance, and safe conversations.

WHAT

We provide and fund activities that improve mental health awareness, resilience and support. This includes counselling access, mental health education, suicide awareness sessions, grants to partner organisations, and public campaigns that promote understanding, open discussion, and help-seeking behaviour.

WHERE

Our work is rooted in Oxfordshire—Joey’s home and community—while collaborating with regional and national organisations to share resources, training, and awareness tools wherever they are needed. Many campaigns, programmes, and educational offers are delivered through football clubs, community venues, schools, and online.

WHEN

We deliver support and awareness activity throughout the year, responding to emerging needs and national awareness dates. Our programmes, grants, and partnerships continue to grow to ensure consistent availability of information, training and signposting whenever individuals or families require help.

HOW

We achieve our work through fundraising, public support, grant-making, partnerships with mental health organisations, and targeted educational initiatives. Our trustees oversee governance, finance and impact measurement, ensuring that every activity aligns with our charitable Objects and delivers meaningful, accessible community benefit.

WHY

The Foundation was created following the tragic loss of Joey Beauchamp, to ensure that others facing mental health challenges do not struggle alone. Our purpose is to increase awareness, reduce stigma, improve resilience and encourage earlier conversations—helping people access support sooner and strengthening mental wellbeing across the community.