Known to many as the home of Bettys famous tearooms, Yorkshire Tea and Taylors own famous coffee brand, we were thrilled when their employees chose The Jordan Legacy as their charity of the year for 2022!

During 2022, employees undertook a wide range of fundraising activities to support our work in suicide prevention, including a ‘Gig-Night’ in a bar in Harrogate town centre with several bands performing, a pet fancy dress competition (which The Jordan Legacy judged!), a cycleathon, a 10k run and a five-a-side football competition and much more.

This video was created by Taylors to celebrate supporting The Jordan Legacy as their charity of the year. It features a conversation between The Jordan Legacy’s founder, Steve Phillip and Taylor’s employee and Steve’s stepdaughter Mélanie Fuller.

Thank you to everyone at Bettys and Taylors for your amazing support during 2022.

Paul Waite Associates Ltd work in Geo, structural and civil engineering and have amassed a strong reputation for delivering nationwide complex design solutions across commercial, leisure and residential sectors, providing tender winning designs for both developers and design/construct contractors. They are also passionate about supporting the mental wellbeing of their employees. When PWA’s Denene Capper and Paul McDonald attended a networking event, hosted by another of our Hero partners, Craven Consulting Services, and heard The Jordan Legacy’s Founder, Steve Phillip talk about the loss of his son, Denene got in touch with Steve to ask how they could help.

In January 2023, Paul Waite Associates became another of our Hero partners. The company is no stranger to putting on fundraising events or implementing employee wellbeing initiatives. From celebrating successes, no matter how big or small or actively implementing workplace improvements suggested by employees, they are a company who are keen to improve their business in partnership with their employees. Previous fundraising activities have seen Paul climb Kilimanjaro and Denene is not averse to a spot of open swimming in places like Lake Windermere. The company has also introduced an employee wellbeing policy as part of their HR management.

We’re very much looking forward to working with everyone at Paul Waite Associates during 2023.

One of the most exciting events for The Jordan Legacy during 2022 was when Ginetta GT4 Supercup Champion, James Kellet, agreed to prominently feature The Jordan Legacy’s logo on his race car. James then went on to win race after race during 2022 becoming Champion in his first full rookie season. This provided us with huge exposure on national television, as each race is watched by approximately 19 million viewers.

James, from York, went with his parents to a small karting track once a month, where he learnt the basics of karting and the race craft. He won his first championship at 9 years old and became British Champion at 12.

He continued to win various championships and break multiple lap records that still hold today. 13 Years old was the highlight of his karting career, when he won the WKA Manufacturers Cup at the famous Daytona International Speedway in Florida USA. James made the move into car racing when he was 14. In his first year, he won the Ginetta Junior Rookie Championship and the Winter Series Championship with a record breaking win of over 28 seconds. He then won the Protyre Motorsport Ginetta GT5 Challenge Championship in both 2015 and 2018. He was also awarded the BRDC Rising Star status in 2015.

The 2022 season was a hugely successful one for James and the Ginetta team and to see Jordan’s name on the front wing of the winning car each race was an amazing experience.

For 2023, James will be racing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Championship with the same Century Motorsport team and he’s once again hoping to feature The Jordan Legacy’s logo on his car.

Thank you James for helping us raise awareness about mental health issues and suicide.

For more information about James’ racing career, you can visit his website here.

On Christmas Day 2021, Alison and Paul Mitchell lost Michael, their 39 year old brother-in-law, to suicide, leaving behind a grieving family and loved ones, including his 7 year old daughter.

In memory of Michael, on May 7th 2023, Alison and Paul, along with the support of some friends, are going to run all 28.5 miles of The Hardmoors Wainstones Trail Marathon with an elevation of 5600 feet! Neither Alison or Paul has tackled such an extreme challenge before.

Paul has joined Ripon Runners, whilst Alison is running with friends, some of whom will also be running the marathon in May with them. On Sunday, February 5th they both ran the Saltburn half-marathon, which is also part of the Hardmoors series, so training is coming along well!

You can support Alison and Paul’s incredible effort and in doing so help raise funds for The Jordan Legacy. You can visit their JustGiving page here.

If there was a theme tune to our work in suicide prevention, it would probably include the words; ‘Please stay’

In December 2021, BBC Radio Yorkshire poet laureate, Olivia Mulligan, stood on stage at The Jordan Legacy’s first ever Hope for Life (UK) Conference and read a poem she had written especially for that day. It’s called ‘Stay’.

Also at that conference and providing music and vocals, was Melody Reed of Live Band Entertainment Limited. Melody was so taken with the poem that she got together with Olivia and created a version of Stay to music. The result is this stunning song that you can now stream online and download.

To download Stay will cost you only pence. Would you consider going one step further – when you purchase and download your copy of Stay and reflect on Jordan and others we have lost or those we might lose to suicide (18 people every day in the UK) would you donate a little extra to support our work at The Jordan Legacy?

Listen to and download ‘Stay’ here.

Choose Apple Music by clicking here

Choose Spotify by clicking here

If you choose to support The Jordan Legacy by leaving a donation, UK residents can donate via our JustGiving page here:

If you are inside or outside the UK, you can donate in various ways via our website Homepage and the orange ‘Donate’ button.

Melody and Olivia have donated their time and their hearts to create Stay for all those who are struggling to let them know we really want them to stay here on this earth.

Watch the video of the full song and the words of the original poem below

 

 

Stay

To the brother, to the uncle
To the friend we love and know
To the cousin, the step-son
Bravely putting on a show

As we look towards the sunrise
Remembering you each day
Your legacy was born
& in our hearts you’ll stay

As we look towards the sunrise
We know there was another way
To others fighting in silence
We’re asking you to stay

To the mother, to the aunty,
To the one who’s not ok
To the daughter, to the best friend
We’re asking you to stay

To the grandson, to the boyfriend
To the one so very strong
Please stay to see the sunrise
Here with us, in this world, you belong

BY OLIVIA MULLIGAN

This year, Joseph turns 13 and he’s undertaking a walk and talk project to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah.

On his JustGiving page, Joseph asks: “Did you know that walking in the countryside helps with mental health? Research carried out by the charity Mind found that 71% of respondents reported feeling less stressed and less depressed after a ‘green walk” and he’s absolutely right.

Inspired by the findings from Mind, Joseph is going to undertake a series of walks with his friends. His goal is to be with his friends enjoying being outside in nice places, making each other laugh and telling each other stories. And, apparently, one of their most important goals will be to eat cake.

These walks also provide a wonderful opportunity for Joseph and his friends to talk about things that maybe concern young people today.

What Joseph is doing is encouraging his friends to join him in a psychologically healthy environment and away from the isolation which many young people can find themselves drawn to, often spending hours on laptops, tablets and smartphones.

Joseph also decided to undertake these walk and talks for his Bar Mitzvah for two other important reasons:

1. To remind us how important it is to look after our mental health
2. To raise money for two organisations which help support those who are struggling with their mental health.

One of those organisations, we’re delighted to say, is The Jordan Legacy. The other being Jami, who focus on improving and saving lives impacted by mental illness in the Jewish community. To find out more about Jami please click this link.

To support Joseph’s walk and talks you can donate to his JustGiving page here.

You can visit Joseph’s Mum’s Facebook page here, for updates, including the date of their next walk. You can also leave a comment on the page to let Joseph know if you’re interested in walking with him and his friends.

Whenever we receive messages from individuals or organisations saying they’d like to raise funds to support our work, it gives us a huge boost. Such generosity allows us to continue the work we do. In Autumn 2022, two more incredible people, unknown to each other, got in touch with The Jordan Legacy.

Rachel Delaney works in general practice as a nurse and mental health support and mental health signposting is an important part of her role. On October 2nd 2022, Rachel donned her running shoes and ran the 26.2 miles of the London Marathon to raise funds to support The Jordan Legacy.

Steve Carr is already well-known to us at The Jordan Legacy and is one of our primary partners for the delivery of accredited suicide prevention training. Steve is no stranger to taking on an adventure, including flying planes, riding fast motorcycles and more. However, in October 2022, Steve decided to run his first event ultra marathon – more than 31 miles!

Steve’s life has not been without its challenges. He experienced an extremely traumatic childhood, including the death of his elder brother which led to addiction, homelessness and attempted suicide. Later in life he suffered a mental health breakdown in the workplace and was given a mental health diagnosis of  PTSD.

Between Rachel and Steve’s incredible efforts, they raised more than £1000 to support our work. Thank you both for every aching muscle and sore foot your experienced in helping us give hope to others.

Like so many, who have been moved and inspired by our work to help prevent suicides, in December 2021, Dee Newton messaged Steve via LinkedIn; “Hi Steve Could you please give me a call about how we could support your organisation. Thank you  Dee”

This simple message led to Steve meeting with Dee and Craven Consultancy’s MD, Liz Brewster, via Zoom. That conversation led to Craven Consultancy Services becoming our latest ‘Hero Partner’

Located near Skipton,in North Yorkshire, Craven Consultancy Services consists of Craven Safety Services & Craven HR Services and provides a range of health and safety and HR training, consultancy and software solutions to businesses. Full details of all these services can be found on their website here.

As a ‘Hero partner’, Liz and her team have committed a regular monthly financial donation to The Jordan Legacy, as well as agreeing to undertake a range of activities during the next 12 months, some of which include:

• Promoting The Jordan Legacy in Craven Consultancy’s monthly newsletters
• Add a full page to Craven Consultancy Services’ website with information and links to how people can donate to The Jordan Legacy
• Attending the Mental Health First Aid training courses organised by The Jordan Legacy and promoting these courses to Craven Consultancy’s clients
• Share posts about The Jordan Legacy’s work via LinkedIn and other social media.
• Create various events throughout the year to raise funds for The Jordan Legacy.

In October of 2022, Craven hosted an evening networking and fundraising event at Broughton Hall near Skipton. The event included some amazing and inspiring speakers and our own Steve Phillip kicked-started the evening by sharing a few words about the issues relating to suicide and mental health and about the work we do at The Jordan Legacy.

It’s this kind of financial and importantly, practical support provided by organisations like Craven Consulting Services, which makes a huge difference to the work we do at The Jordan Legacy in helping to prevent suicides.

Thank you for pledging your support for 2022, Dee, Liz and team!

In 2010, Penny Tyler tragically lost her sister and best friend Lucie Ann Tyler to suicide. “Lucie was a beacon of light for all those around her…the warmest, funniest, kindest person you would ever meet.”

In April 2022, in memory of her sister and to raise funds for The Jordan Legacy and The Zee Foundation in Uganda, Penny travelled to Croatia, to climb the treacherous 350m route called Mosoraski on the Paklenica Mountain.

To say the conditions were, at times, dangerous, is probably an understatement, so much so, that Day 1’s plans had to be cancelled! At one point, Penny and her climbing buddies were being blown up the mountain, until a severe gust of wind literally blew her off her feet and she didn’t land until the gust subsided, as you’ll see in this short video clip below.

Incredibly, the climb raised an incredible £1259.40 for The Jordan Legacy! Thank you Penny, you are a a real super-hero!!

In the summer of 2021, at the age of 33, Ross Keenan lost his battle with poor mental health and tragically took his own life. Described by his brother as someone whose ‘greatest attribute was his heart, no matter the odds or the adversity, he charged headfirst, standing up for himself and others, always picking the underdog. He was the most loyal friend, a person with unconditional love, who you could call on whatever the situation.’

To honour his brother’s life and in support of The Jordan Legacy, on February 24th 2022, Ross’s 34th birthday, Cameron ran 34 kilometre’s, over gruelling terrain, ascending Mount Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level!

During training for this incredible feat, Cameron had to fight off a bout of Covid at the beginning of 2022 but in the end, with his Mum and sister, Georgia, waiting for him at the summit, Cameron achieved his goal, raising more than £7300 for The Jordan Legacy. The Rossathon Justgiving page is still live, if you would like to donate and support Cameron’s amazing achievement.  JustGiving ‘The Rossathon’ page here. 

On March 21st 2021, the lives of a family from Yorkshire were shattered when Liam Foster died by suicide at the age of 22, just weeks before his 23rd birthday.

During the summer of 2022, Liam’s little sister, Farran, at just 9 years old, together with the support of her family, set out to raise £5200 to support two causes close to their hearts, one being The Jordan Legacy the other Quinn’s Retreat.

The family travelled to Canada to climb the 5.2km, 2500 metre high, Old Man Trail, at Jasper, the same climb her brother had undertaken a few years earlier. This is a trek that can take even experienced climbers up to 8 hours to complete! Lisa told us: “It was tougher than any of us expected and it was scary in parts. The heatwave didn’t help and the loose shale and stones in parts meant we had to continually move out of the way of falling debris! The Views from the top were breath-taking though.”

It was Liam‘s wish that his ashes be spread on that mountain in Jasper, a place he travelled to when he was just 18. He fell in love with Canada and never wanted to leave.

Lisa’s fundraising campaign was wonderfully supported by Julie Downs who raised almost £700 by undertaking The Great North Swim at Windermere (not for the first time!), swimming a distance of 2 miles in the chilly lake waters.

Another incredible lived experience story and how, out of such a tragic loss, people come together to achieve remarkable feats!

In April 2020, Katie Hickman contacted Steve Phillip via LinkedIn, worried about her husband who was struggling with his mental health. After what had been a incredibly tough year supporting her husband, Katie decided she wanted to give something back to the Charities and NHS teams who had been there for her, this included The Jordan Legacy.

On Saturday November 21st, 2021, together with her family, Katie held the very first Annual Hickman Mental Health Ball.

When she first considered putting on this event, Katie thought it would be a few members of her family and friends who would get together and raise a few hundred pounds for The Jordan Legacy and the Eastbourne Department of Psychiatry. By the end of the evening, they had raised raised a staggering £7462.50!

In November 2022, Katie and her family held their second annual Hickman Ball in Tunbridge Wells and The Jordan Legacy’s Steve Phillip and his wife Laurence joined everyone there for another incredible night of fundraising. Steve also delivered a short talk on topic of mental health and suicide. Although fewer people were able to attend the 2022 event, they still managed to raise an incredible £4600!

On the 10th of October, Gina Vickers and several of her friends decided to run the 26.2 miles of the Manchester marathon. This group of University chums were doing this in memory of one of their best friends, Harrison De George, pictured in the centre of the group photo below. On the 7th of December 2020 Harrison, a trainee teacher, took his own life aged just 23.

October 10th was also a significant date to Harrison’s friends as it was World Mental Health day. Harrison was passionate about mental health and encouraged others to talk and to even reach out to him if they ever needed.

Gina and friends raised a staggering £4797 for The Jordan Legacy.

Leeds based company, 2-work, like to challenge traditional ways of providing flexible office space for their clients, they’re also not afraid of any other kind of challenge either. In September 2021, directors Gal Leslie and Janthea Griffin, together with Harriet Tarbatt and Natalie Pucher, decided to take on the National Three Peaks. Driving, walking, climbing and scrambling more than 25 miles, whilst ascending 1585 metres in under 12 hours, they managed to raise an incredible £1481.03!!

2-work were also one of the first organisations to become a ‘Super-hero’ partner of The Jordan Legacy, showing a real commitment to supporting our cause long-term.

Jordan had so many friends and one of these, who only learnt about Jordan’s death some months later, was Craig. When they were both in their early 20’s, Craig and Jordan had worked together at The British Library.

“I have memories of Jordan that still make me burst out laughing as we found ourselves in a ridiculous situation of scanning endless books. The recession brought us together and our humour at the hopelessness of it all got us through the mind numbing shifts”.

Craig has had his own struggles with mental health and told us how Jordan was always someone who was there for him. He had no clue that Jordan was also dealing with his own mental health struggles.

In October 2021, Craig released his EP, ‘Georges Diner’, which highlights mental health struggles. Craig is donating all proceeds from the sale of his EP to The Jordan Legacy. You can listen to and download Georges Diner by clicking this link. You can also purchase merchandise, including the album cover and t-shirt here too.

On Saturday 26th June, Jasmine Roebuck and Natalie Smith took on National Three Peaks 24 Hour Challenge, driving between and then scaling Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in the Lake District National Park and Mount Snowdon in Wales. The challenge involved hiking approximately 23 miles, over 3000m (10,000ft) of ascent, twice that of the Yorkshire 3 peaks and approximately 468 miles of driving! In total, they raised over £1000 for The Jordan Legacy!

Touched by mental health issues close to them, Jasmine and Natalie wanted to do something that would challenge them both, whilst at the same time using nature, outdoors and walking within the challenge. Both felt that the pandemic lockdown had had an impact on their mental health and getting out into nature has been a key part of ‘staying sane’ over the past year.

In 2020, despite struggling with her own terminal illness, Elaine made a commitment to support The Jordan Legacy by walking a total of 50km. She surpassed her target however, walking an incredible 82.4 kms and in doing so, raised more than £1700!

Tragically, in November 2021, we received news that Elaine had lost her battle with cancer. Steve, The Jordan Legacy’s founder, was first introduced to Elaine by his son-in-law, Matt Jackson, Danielle’s (Jordan’s sister) partner. Matt and Elaine worked together at AXA Insurance.

Steve never did get to meet Elaine but they messaged regularly and they did speak on the phone once. Steve was always struck by Elaine’s can do and never give up attitude, as well as her wonderful sense of humour. She is very much missed by all those who worked with her and knew and loved her.

In the summer of 2021, the team at Atlantic UK undertook a virtual challenge to row & walk around the Mediterranean, visiting various cities along the way, of which their Mediterranean levers are named after! View their range here: https://atlantichandles.com/range/mediterranean/

Each team chose to row and walk a third of the total distance whilst raising funds for The Jordan Legacy, in the end raising a wonderful £520!