Category: Blog

We are proud to announce that Initial funding from The Charlie Watkins Foundation of the YES Navigator project has assisted YES in demonstrating the value of school Navigators. This has resulted in the Suffolk & North East Essex Integrated Care Board announcing that they will be supporting YES to deliver this much needed service across North East Essex in 17 schools, the Colchester 6th form and the Colchester Institute.

From the little acorn we nurtured and funded a much greater support to those young people in most need has been grown.

Without the generous donations from our supporters this would never nave happened.

Thank you

Tim and Harry

The University of York Lacrosse Club is more than just a sports team – it is a community that values camaraderie, sportsmanship, and giving back.

In 2017, the club lost Charlie, and this left a lasting impact on the team and its members.

We were delighted to have recently been contacted by the UYLC to say that they have made the Charlie Watkins Shield. This shield will be awarded to the winning team each year at the club’s Mixed League intra-club tournament, ensuring that Charlie’s memory and impact remain a fundamental part of the club’s culture. This is a symbol of the club’s commitment to supporting the Charlie Watkins Foundation for years to come.

The UYLC recognises the importance of continuing to support the foundation’s fantastic work and are dedicated to doing so for many years to come.

We are delighted to have been selected by insurance provider Pen Underwriting as its Charity partner for 2023, after Pen put the power of choosing a partner into the hands of its people.

Pen is one of the UK’s largest and most diverse insurance managing general agents – insuring everything from tankers to technology firms, accountants to architects, and holiday homes to wholesalers – employing more than 450 people across 12 offices around the UK.

Thoughout the year, Pen will be holding various events around its offices to help raise funds and increase awareness of the mental health challenges faced by young people.

Hamir Patel, Chair of the Charity Committee at Pen Underwriting said:  “When we asked our colleagues which charitable causes they would most like us to partner with, mental health emerged as an issue of universal support, one everyone could identify with and unite behind. That makes us especially proud to support the Charlie Watkins Foundation in its dedication to helping young people overcome their mental health challenges, through the charities and initiatives it funds.

“Together, we look forward to helping the foundation reach more young people, encouraging them to speak openly about their struggles and giving them the confidence to seek help, while equipping them with the tools to enhance their well-being.”

Tim Watkins, our co-founder, commented: “Pen’s support is greatly appreciated as we continue in our attempts to help young people who are fighting the challenge of mental health issues. Without the support of companies like Pen our task would be even harder. In partnership we can keep on funding important projects that make a tangible difference to the lives of vulnerable young people.”

Thank you, Pen, for choosing the Charlie Watkins Foundation

Christmas can be a particularly hard time for people coping with mental health challenges, so it is an important time to continue to raise awareness. Here, Harry Watkins explains how his twin brother’s legacy has helped young people’s mental health and will continue to do so in 2023.

When my brother Charlie sadly took his own life aged just 22, it turned our world upside down. He was the light of our all our lives, but then suddenly he was gone.

When a loved one takes their own life, it leaves a giant void behind. And sadly, it is a feeling far too many families continue to experience.

The grief can feel more intense throughout the festive season because people are expected to be spreading festive joy. However, in reality we miss loved ones more as they are not by our side to celebrate.

While Charlie is no longer here with us, the legacy he left behind is huge.

His kindness, bubbly personality and beaming smile are all entwined in the vital work the Charlie Watkins Foundation has set out to achieve. Through the foundation, we have funded incredible initiatives which all share a common goal – to support young people’s mental health.

Ensuring young people have the right tools to deal with mental health challenges they face is paramount for their wellbeing. My first experience of mental health was when Charlie had depression – and I wish I had knowledge of it before.

In 2020, 147 young people in England aged 15 – 19 took their own lives. In 2021, this number rose to 198. While awareness of mental health appears to be improving, there is still a lot more work to be done.

Teaching young people early and ensuring they have the right support for their mental health is vital. Therefore, as part of our work in 2022, the Charlie Watkins Foundation has funded projects for the Youth Enquiry Service (YES), Student Minds and the Charlie Waller Trust (CWT).

We are always looking for new ways to help improve young people’s mental health, and we know there is still much work to do. But we can’t continue to fund these incredible initiatives throughout 2023 without your support.

All donations to the Charlie Watkins Foundation support the work of charities and initiatives whose primary focus is helping young people’s mental health. If you can, please donate.

Sadly, we will all lose people we love in our lifetimes, and it is never easy. This National Grief Awareness Week, Harry Watkins talks about his experience of grief after losing his twin brother, Charlie.  

Nothing can ever prepare you to say goodbye to someone you love. Charlie was my twin brother, he was with me at every stage of my life. 

And one day he was gone. 

It is difficult to describe the grief I experienced when he passed away, but it felt like a darkness had now shaded my world. Charlie was the light in every room because of his kindness, bubbly personality and infectious smile. 

When he was gone, all of that left with him. An overwhelming sense of grief flooded my life, and it was difficult for everyone close to him. 

It has been more than five years since mental ill health took Charlie from us. Time is a great healer, however I still live with grief. 

And that is ok. 

National Grief Awareness Week is an opportunity to share our experiences of grief, as well as ways to cope and to highlight support available. Everyone experiences it and it is completely natural, so it should not be ignored or hidden. 

My father and I both struggled after Charlie’s death, but we had each other. Also, we had love and support from those close to us. And that is something which can be a huge help when you are grieving. 

If you know someone who is experiencing grief, it is important you let them know you are there for them. Be it offering a listening ear, helping with practical tasks, or ensuring you are available if they need to speak. 

The important thing is to be patient. People experiencing grief can go through many emotions, so a patient and understanding approach is a must. 

It is unlikely any personal advice can be helpful to someone who is grieving, so that might be wise to avoid. Instead, offering kind words and helping them reflect could be more helpful. 

While it is National Grief Awareness Week, National Bereaved Parents Day took place in July. My father and co-founder of CWF, Tim Watkins, shared his experience which you can read here. 

If you are experiencing grief and need additional support, please contact your local mental health services. 

We are very grateful to insurance brokers Aston Lark, who dedicated the month of March to fundraising for the Charlie Watkins Foundation (CWF). Here’s a round-up of all of the fun activities they got involved in! We’d also like to extend our thanks to the Colchester branch who’ve been fundraising for CWF for the whole of 2022.

All employees from Aston Lark, an industry-leading independent broker with more than 55 offices across the UK and Ireland, took part in a wide variety of activities.

Take a look at what they got up to below:

1. Tuck shops

   A few Aston Lark offices set up tuck shops – the Colchester office included breakfast crumpets in their offering while the Stourbridge office opted for a healthy buffet.

2. An After Eight Challenge
   

   The Colchester office also hosted an After Eight Challenge with employees. If you’re not familiar with the challenge, you simply pop an After Eight mint on your forehead and try and slide it down your face. The first one to get it in their mouth wins!

3. Bake sales
   

   Many of the Aston Lark offices held bake sales with lots of yummy treats on offer. The Colchester branch held a bake sale for Halloween 2022, raising £115 for CWF.

4. Games events

   The Caterham office hosted a games week in their office with cakes while the Stourbridge office enjoyed a games afternoon. The Maidstone office and Renovation Plan in Burnham-on-Crouch also set up a Nintendo Switch to play with colleagues. The Surrey office similarly hosted a three-day Retro Mario Kart Play off!

5. Dress-down days
   

   A few offices who held dress-down days have donated the proceeds to the cause.

Plus many, many more!

We’d like to say a big thank you to Aston Lark who raised a fantastic £1,600 for CWF throughout March.

We’ve so enjoyed seeing and sharing all the pictures from the Aston Lark fundraising activities and have loved the creativity and dedication of all the staff.

While every Aston Lark office supported CWF in March, their Colchester office is continuing to fundraise for CWF throughout 2022 – we are so thankful for this.

For more information on Aston Lark’s other charitable activities, click here.

If your business would like to support the Charlie Watkins Foundation, we can offer you a corporate partnership profile on our website, work with your PR team to provide tailored communications, help with fundraising events and support the objectives of your mental health committee.

If you’d like to find out more about how you can support us as a corporate partnership, please get in contact. We’d love to hear from you.

Making mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority is the goal of World Mental Health Day 2022. The Charlie Watkins Foundation fully supports the World Health Organisation’s aim – and knowing how to support and start conversations with people is a great place to start.

Unfortunately, most of us will experience mental health challenges at some point in our lives. It is completely natural, so it is important we have the confidence to help those close to us.

It may not always be obvious a friend or family member is going through a tough time – distancing themselves from people or doing things out of character might be signs they need support. If you think they are experiencing challenges, the first thing to do is reach out.

Sometimes, being reassured there are people who care can go a long way.

It is vital to remain patient when reaching out, as some people may be reluctant to open up at first. If they are reluctant, let them talk to you in their own time – but remind them you are always there when they need a chat.

While you will want to offer your own solutions to someone’s challenges, it is important to remember that might not always be helpful. Ensuring people have a safe space to talk with someone who will listen is the most important thing. Talking is a powerful tool.

In many cases, people experiencing mental health challenges may avoid leaving their house or socialising. Changing environments and getting out in nature can be beneficial, so try suggesting a walk or getting a coffee to-go. However, do not put pressure on them if they say no – perhaps suggest doing it another day instead. That way, they know they have the option and will feel more in control.

There is no right or wrong way to talk about mental health, what works will be different for many people. The important thing is providing a safe place for people to talk when they feel comfortable to do so.

World Mental Health Day takes place annually and is an opportunity to highlight the importance of looking after our wellbeing. For the Charlie Watkins Foundation, every day is World Mental Health Day. We are committed to raising funds for organisations to help support young people struggling with their mental health and wellbeing.

You can find out more about the work we do on our support page. If you can, please donate so we can continue helping our partner organisations do brilliant things in their community.

A-level students collected their results last week and some will be heading to university next month. This can be an exciting step, but for many, it can also be daunting and mental health can suffer. Here, we suggest five ways to prepare for university.

1. Do some research

If starting at university involves moving to a location you do not know well, then do some research!

Have a look at what is near your campus, see if you can find familiar places like your favourite clothes stores or coffee shops, and look into the best way to travel home when you would like to.

You should also research where you can go for support with your mental health at university should you need it.

2. Speak to people who have already been to university

If you know anyone who has been to university before, there’s a chance that before they started, they had some worries too. Speak to any family and friends that you know have experienced starting university and ask how they felt and how they overcame any worries.

3. Plan your finances

Going to university will affect the money you receive and the way you get it. It is important to think about how you will pay for essentials like rent, food and study books.

If you are worried about money, make sure you look into any additional funding you might be entitled to.

4. Avoid thinking about ‘what if’ situations

Remember that most people will be in the same position as you, starting university for the first time with some worries. If you start creating pre-conceived ideas about what might happen, you could become overwhelmed. Try not to put pressure on yourself and to have an open mind about what is going to happen at university.

University is a new stage in life, so take it as it comes and remember that your mental health comes first.

5. Pack things that make you feel at home

When you are packing your belongings, make sure you take things that will remind you of home, such as photographs, washing or your favourite recipes. This can help at points where you might be having mental health struggles and if you feel homesick.

Through our working partnership with the Charlie Waller Trust (CWT), experts have written a variety of Transition Guides for those leaving their existing educational establishment to go to university.

The transition guides, for vulnerable groups have been written by a highly experienced mental health practitioner who delivers training with the CWT. It is hoped that these guides will support students to cope with mental health challenges. You can read the transition guides here.

If you would like to help support our working partnerships, such as CWT, to help improve young people’s mental health, you can do so by donating to the Charlie Watkins Foundation.

It’s no surprise that spending time outside and getting busy in the garden is great for your mental health; and there’s no better example of how tending to allotments can help your wellbeing than the GoGreen project, run in Colchester by one of our charity partnerships the Youth Enquiry Service (YES). 

What is the GoGreen project?

The GoGreen project is a community garden in Colchester where young people can go to spend time outside and nurture everything growing there. In the allotment area, fruit and vegetables are grown from seed and, when harvested, are turned into delicious simple meals made in the on-site kitchen. Any extra food is given to local food banks, ensuring that many people in the community also enjoy the benefits of the allotment space.

The Charlie Watkins Foundation (CWF) has supported this project with funding for essential gardening equipment, including a shed, a large gazebo and a new summer house, called Charlie’s Cabin.

What are the mental health benefits?

As well as the benefit of tasty produce, the young people who use the space have said that spending time outside, getting involved in the gardening and working with others has helped improve their mental health. The University of Sheffield even conducted a research project which found that people who have an allotment space reported a range of wellbeing benefits.

Spending time surrounded by nature is great for improving mood, reducing stress and boosting self-esteem. Plus, joining others outdoors allows you to meet new people and build a community of peer-support. Charlie’s Cabin has been a great addition to the garden for this, as it is a safe place where young people can share their concerns or simply chat with their peers or their project leaders.

How can you get involved?

If you feel inspired to tend to your own allotment, the National Allotment Society have resources on their website to help you find out where your nearest allotments are, and how to start growing.

You can also help support the continuation of the GoGreen project, as well as many others, by donating to Charlie Watkins Foundation. Your generous donations have helped us support and fund many amazing organisations working to help improve young people’s mental health.

The annual 5-a-side football tournament, hosted by AlescoDA, took place on 30^th June at Powerleague in Shoreditch. This event sees insurance companies get together to have a friendly football competition and raise money for a very worthy cause.

After a lot of planning, it turned out to be a day filled with sun, fun, food and football.

In total 14 teams competed, with team Atrium coming out on top as Champions!

Harry Watkins was kind enough to come along on the day, educate those who didn’t know the background of the foundation, thank them all for their donations and hand out the winners’ trophies.

Every team paid a donation to secure their space in the match. There was also a raffle with prizes kindly donated by local companies and other colleagues from Gallagher.

Gallagher also have a wonderful charity benefit where they match any money raised, which is great because it doubles our overall total.

To date we have raised £16,020! If you would like to donate, please do so via our Enthuse page.

We would like to thank all the players who took part in the competition and everyone who helped organise and manage this fantastic event.