Would you know how to spot the signs and symptoms of depression or mental health challenges in a young adult that you’re close to?
If you answered ‘yes’, you’re in the minority.
Many people wouldn’t.
NHS programmes that are designed to raise awareness and provide support for young adults suffering with mental health challenges are under-funded. They don’t have the reach or impact that they need to.
When you look at the statistics, it makes the lack of awareness and support all the more alarming.
1 in 6 young people aged 16-24 are classed as having a mental health disorder, and suicide is the leading cause of death amongst 15-35 year olds.
More needs to be done to raise awareness and support young adults that are suffering.
The Lucy Rayner Foundation: Raising Awareness of Mental Health Challenges in Young Adults
The Lucy Rayner Foundation was established in 2012 by Jenny Rayner and her family following the tragic loss of her daughter Lucy, who took her own life aged just 22.
The key objectives of the Lucy Rayner Foundation include raising awareness of the signs of depression and other mental health challenges in young adults and helping to change the way that people perceive mental health in society.
They also provide support to young adults who are facing challenges with their mental health and help them to build emotional resilience.
The Lucy Rayner Foundation runs many events across the year to help raise funds, including charity skydives, golf days and an annual charity ball.
Merchandise Support Was Needed for the Annual Charity Ball
Everything Branded were contacted by The Lucy Rayner Foundation to see if we could support them with memorable ‘takeaways’ for guests at their Annual Charity Ball.
We met Amy and Emma Rayner on a Zoom call. We were immediately touched as they told us Lucy’s story and the way the Foundation honours her legacy by helping others.
Amy and Emma explained that every year they run a themed charity ball with dinner, live entertainment, speakers and a charity auction.
The events are always a success, and they provide all guests with memorable gifts that can act as a reminder of The Lucy Rayner Foundation, and the support that is available for any young person and their families when they are facing mental health challenges.
The theme of the 2022 ball was “Shine A Light On Your Mental Health”. Everything Community (the charitable arm of Everything Branded) were asked if we were able to donate any appropriate gifts, and if we had any creative ideas.
We agreed immediately to support with the donation, but said we’d need a few days to come up with a creative solution that aligned with the theme of the ball.
Finding an Appropriate Product to ‘Shine a Light on Mental Health’
Our first step at Everything Branded was to find the right project team.
One of our Account Managers, Harry Straw put himself forward to manage the project.
Mental health is a topic that is close to Harry’s heart and we knew that he was currently in the middle of completing a mental health qualification and setting up his own charity to support Mental Health. With the support of his colleague Jake Lynsey, we knew the project was in the best of hands.
Harry and Jake pulled the team together to think about the potential ideas that would be distinctive, align with the ‘shine a light on your mental health’ theme of the ball, and remind guests that there is always support available when people are going through dark times.
The immediate product that sprung to mind was a torch. But although it satisfied the ‘shine a light’ and ‘support in dark times’ objectives – how could we make it distinctive and memorable?
Harry and Jake set about contacting our suppliers to see if there was anything that could be done to create a torch that included the distinctive Lucy Rayner Foundation logo – a pair of red lips.
The Perfect Solution: A Donation of 250 Red Lips LED Torch Keyrings
We managed to find a supplier that could create a custom PVC LED Torch Keyring in the shape of the Lucy Rayner Foundation logo.
As soon as we saw the concept artwork we knew it was a winner:
Amy and Emma Rayner loved the artwork as much as we did, so we signed off the concept and had 250 LED Torch Keyrings produced in time for the Annual Ball on 8th October.
We received a lovely letter from The Lucy Rayner Foundation following the event, thanking us for the donation and confirming that the keyrings were a hit with all of the guests. We were delighted to hear that the charity raised a whopping £65,978.00! This is just incredible!
We’re looking forward to working with The Lucy Rayner foundation again in the future, and supporting their mission to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of mental health challenges in young adults.
Does Your Charity Need Support?
Everything Community manages the social responsibility and community support initiatives of the Everything Global Group.
If you have an initiative we can help out with, we’d love to hear from you at hello@everythingcommunity.org
We’re keen on helping all charities and community causes where we can, but we prioritise requests from smaller charities and those that are local to the Leicester area.
More about The Lucy Rayner Foundation
The Lucy Rayner Foundation was established in 2012 and raises awareness of the signs and symptoms of depression and mental challenges in young adults.
The charity also offers a wide range of services for young adults and their families, including a free counselling service, a suicide bereavement service and support groups.
To find out more about The Lucy Rayner Foundation, visit https://thelucyraynerfoundation.com/
