Mental Health Charity, The Grace Dear Trust Chosen as New Elmbridge Mayor’s Charity For 2021-22
Following his election as Mayor of Elmbridge at the Annual Meeting of the Council on Wednesday 19 May, Councillor Tony Popham held his charity launch via Zoom on Thursday 20 May.
Councillor Tony Popham has chosen to support The Grace Dear Trust for his Mayoral term of office.
The Grace Dear Trust is a mental health charity that was set up after the Dear family lost their daughter and sister, Grace, to suicide aged just 27 in February 2017.
Their aim is to help save the lives of other young people suffering with mental health issues. Grace had been suffering with depression and anxiety from the age of 13, but hadn’t felt she could reach out to anyone to help her make sense of her feelings.
1 in 8 young people are also affected and many suffer without the help they need. The charity wants to change that and let people know ‘it’s ok not to be ok’. Mental health is still at a disadvantage in public funding and requires more effective approaches to prevention, diagnosis and treatment. By supporting families with a whole community approach tragedies, like the one experienced by the Dear Family, can be prevented.
The Mayor said “I am looking forward to working with The Grace Dear Trust over the forthcoming year and to increasing awareness of the support they can provide in collaboration with schools and clubs locally.”
Among others the launch was attended by representatives from local businesses, Robert Moran, Chief Executive of Elmbridge Borough Council, Trustees from The Grace Dear Trust including Graham Dear, Karen Dear, Hope Dear, Rhys Dear and Judy Giles, and Elmbridge Councillors.
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