Past Events
It is fun organising events and great to attend and enjoy them. Here are a selection of our recent fundraising activities. Click the item to read more.
15/06/24 Football 4 charities 2024
10/05/24 WTF Spring Quiz
24/03/24 Belper Marlins Swimming Club
31/12/23 Nottingham Panthers
19/12/23 Knit and Natter at Xmas Fair
25/11/23 Race night
22/11/23 Derby Fans Twitter FC
19/11/23 Pudding Run Jodie Cook
29/10/23 WTF 5k Memorial Run
18/06/23 Second Football for Charities
12/04/23 Knit and Natter
24/03/23 Quiz night
19/06/22 Football 4 Charities
20/05/22 Quiz night
18/02/22 45 for 45
12/12/21 Non Uniform Day at Lees Brook
06/02/21 Winter Ball ’21
01/03/20 Quiz night
18/01/20 Fan Dance
22/11/19 Quiz night
29/09/19 Wayne’s Run
17/08/19 Gameathon
20/07/19 Forever Living Party
29/03/19 Quiz night
13/02/19 Winter Ball ’19
06/12/18 Hope Walk ’18
06/12/17 Hope Walk ’17
06/12/16 Hope Walk ’16
15/06/24 Football 4 charities 2024
10/05/24 WTF Spring Quiz
24/03/24 Belper Marlins Swimming Club
31/12/23 Nottingham Panthers
19/12/23 Knit and Natter at Xmas Fair
25/11/23 Race night
22/11/22 Derby Fans Twitter FC
19/11/23 Pudding Run Jodie Cook
29/10/23 WTF 5k Memorial Run
18/06/23 Second Football for Charities
12/04/23 Knit and Natter
24/03/23 Quiz night
19/06/22 Football 4 Charities
20/05/22 Quiz night
18/02/22 45 for 45
12/12/21 Non Uniform Day at Lees Brook
06/02/21 Winter Ball ’21
01/03/20 Quiz night
18/01/20 Fan Dance
22/11/19 Quiz night
29/09/19 Wayne’s Run
17/08/19 Gameathon
20/07/19 Forever Living Party
29/03/19 Quiz night
13/02/19 Winter Ball ’19
06/12/18 Hope Walk ’18
06/12/17 Hope Walk ’17
06/12/16 Hope Walk ’16
Date: 15th June 2024
Our second Football4Charities match raises £2150. Thank you !
A great day out, fabulous footballing skills and £2150 raised for WTF.
And the match report……by our reporter, Hadley Trueman
It was a grey Saturday afternoon down at New Manor Ground, home of Ilkeston FC and as the starting XI’s lined up in the tunnel the rain started to pour. Local well-known referee Ray Ferguson led out the teams and last out onto the pitch walked Jason Lee, former Nottingham Forest player walking alongside his mascot from West Hallam juniors. Red team captain Matt Gough guided his side to shake hands in a mark of respect for the memorial game. The whistle blew and with a matter of minutes played, the blue team took an early lead, a second was scored by the same player of Football 4 Charities’ side with not even 15 minutes on the clock, a quick counter-attack finish left the reds with nothing but time needed to take a breather and reassess their formation.
The ball was reintroduced at the centre circle and the sky broke with the sun shining on the red team, the blue team’s lead was short-lived as the opposition answered back with a quality strike from number 11. Then in the closing stages of the first half former Forest striker Jason Lee was fouled in the penalty area, meaning one thing. It was a chance for the reds to get back in the game just before half-time. Jason was a man of class when he played back in the nineties, and it was positive to see that had not changed. He handed the ball to Ellie Molloson who was representing Garibaldi Girls on the red team. Her family filled the ground with chants to encourage a crucial goal here. She stepped up to the ball and sent a panenka flying top bins! The entire red team surrounded her to celebrate and the home supporters’ stand threw limbs in the air!
As the teams headed back out for the second half, a minute silence was held for Kevin Campbell who had sadly passed away earlier that day. He was close with Jason amongst other players of the first Nottingham Forest Premier League era. Red team manager Hadley subbed on Veronika for Ellie, they needed a fresh set of legs if they wanted to keep the lead. Number 11 for the reds got straight to work and scored the opener of the second half, morale was high on the red team, the blues, not so much. Jason Lee was then caught up in a head collision where advantage was played and the red team went on to score but the WTF VAR system soon ruled the goal as disallowed and the play was taken back to a free kick in favour of the red team. The set piece was fired but the blue keeper made a good save to push the ball into the kop stand. Red’s defender Sam Varney countered a strong run taking on multiple blue midfielders and sent a through ball into plenty of space where number 9, Jack Langton, stepped onto the ball, knocked it around the keeper and missed an absolute sitter… A blue team defender cleared the gently rolled shot off the line and the blues instantly pressed on the counter attack, their attempt was unsuccessful as the goalpost stood in the way.
The reds number 9 Langton redeemed his missed opportunity and the extended lead the reds had earlier by fulfilling the 4-2 lead within minutes left of the full 90. The blue team appealed the goal for being offside but Ray was having none of it and the WTF VAR system stepped in once again and confirmed the goal would stand. The whistle was blown and the players came together to shake hands.
The red team welcomed Jo and Kev onto the pitch for a wholesome moment remembering the reason why we were all taking part. The trophy was lifted and the awards were given out. The red team reigned supreme and will aim to retain the trophy next year!
Date: May 2024
What a night Quiz Night was! Thank you to everyone who came and helped make it special as we raised £531.
A great evening’s entertainment with a challenging fun quiz, a super raffle and a game of card bingo! Thank you to the Pav Bar at West Hallam Cricket Club for having us, and to anyone who donated prizes for our raffle. Lastly, thank you to Kev and Wayne, our (now professional) quizmasters, for providing all the fun. We are so grateful🫶🏼
And what will happen with the raised funds ? Well every pound raised will go to the WTF Care Pack Project that provides young people with a self care pack when they are going through a particularly tough time.
Watch our TikTok video here.
Date: March 2024
Over £5000 raised by Belper Marlins Swimming Club. You will make such a difference! Thank you!
The Belper Marlin Swimming Club held a Mega Swim last Sunday to raise money for Why Talking Fixes, where swimmers had an hour to complete as many lengths as they could. This is a fundraising event that the Belper Marlins host every year. We are so grateful to be their chosen charity this year!
Over £5000 has been donated and we are speechless! Thank you! thank you! thank you!
Date: December 2023
Nottingham Panthers chose WTF as their December charity of the Month, and we raised £720. We were honoured to be selected
The Nottingham Panthers chose WTF as their Charity of the Month for December and we were honoured to be part of the Christmas celebrations down at the Nottingham Arena. We had carol singers serenading us one night and enjoyed the many Santas and elves that seemed to really enjoy ice hockey. We were really lucky to have been donated a Nottingham Panthers shirt that we raffled off over the 5 games during the month. We were even luckier that the team kindly signed the shirt making it even more special. We drew the raffle on New Year’s Eve and the lucky winner, who was at the game, was absolutely thrilled to take home her signed shirt. WTF attended all 5 games in December, including the first game at Nottingham against the Sheffield Steelers since Adam Johnson’s sudden death: an emotional and memorable event.
Thanks to Nottingham Panthers for choosing us in the first place and to all the volunteers who gave up their time to sell raffle tickets and talk to ice hockey fans from all over the country about WTF and its mission. And we raised £720 – what a great result for WTF!
Watch our TikTok video here.
Date: December 2023
On December 19th, the Old Black Horse Knit and Natter group presented the Will Garvey Trust Foundation with £700 they had raised on their stall at Mapperley Christmas Fair and Lights Switch On.
They raised this money by knitting decorations and other festive items throughout the year, and then selling them on their stall and on our bar.
This takes the total that the knit and natter club has raised for the trust in the last 2 years to £2000!!! Alongside raising money for the trust, they’ve also raised money for Children in Need, The Royal British Legion and others!!!
We at WTF are so very grateful to the nattering ladies and all of the good work they do!!!
What started out a few years ago as a little group of ladies that just wanted to meet up, socialise and knit, has turned into an amazing force for good. And long may that continue.
If you’re interested in joining the ladies next year, everybody is welcome, just get in touch via the Old Black Horse or turn up. They have broken up for Christmas now, but weekly Tuesday afternoon meetings will recommence in the new year from the 9th Jan at 1:30pm.
Date: November 2023
£1600 raised for WTF at an exhilerating Race night in the Old Black Horse, Mapperley.
There were punters shouting and screaming; the Tote inundated with calculations of odds; a compere frantically relaying those odds to all gathered; a Race Manager feverently setting the gee-gees off; horses running like the wind; more shouting and screaming; and eventually ‘Winners’ and ‘Losers’ throughout the evening ! But the big winner was WTF for whom the night raised £1,600.
What an exhilerating night enjoyed by the many who had settled at the Old Black Horse in Mapperley for an evening’s televised horse racing. Convivial scenes, excited voices, shared equine knowledge and one or two drinks for a very happy, contended and supportive audience for the inaugural WTF Race Night.
Thank you to Nick, Cara and the staff at the Old Black Horse for hosting us and helping with many aspects of the event’s organisation and operation. The staff were exceptional, keeping the food and drinks flowing.
Thank you to all of our sponsors for each race, and to anyone who bought a horse or jockey.
Thanks to the bookies: Kev, Shaun and Tim, for taking care of everyone’s bets and winnings.
Thank you to everyone who bought tickets for our raffle.And a special thanks to all who very kindly donated prizes, and to the ladies who kept the ticket sales running smoothly all evening.
Thanks to Ian for the fantastic commentary throughout the night.
And thank you to Kaitlyn, our photographer, for capturing many of the lovely moments.
And finally thanks to all who joined us. What great company, creating a wonderful atmosphere. We couldn’t have done it without any of you.
Date: November 2023
Derby Fans Twitter FC organise and play a football match and raise over £850 for WTF – Thanks Ashley!
One young man who had taken part in the WTF Charity Football Match with Football 4 Charities in June was inspired to set up a football match of his own with a group of friends. Ashley represents Derby Twitter FC (being a die hard Forest fan, I’m not sure what Will would think about this – lol) and arranged the match taking on a WTF V1. The match was held at Mickleover FC Sports Club on a bitterly cold November evening though I’ve got to say it was worth it – it was a great game, and the venue was fab.
The event raised over £850 and will be used to support the WTF Wellbeing Libraries.
Word on the ground is that this might become a regular fixture so we’re looking forward to more matches.
Thanks to all the lads who took part, and to everyone who supported them in sponsorship, and all those who braved the freezing weather.
Date: November 2023
Jodie Cook completes the Heanor Pudding Run on November 19th and raises over £500 for WTF. Thanks Jodie!
Jodie Cooke wasn’t able to join us at the 5k Memorial Run so decided to take on the bigger challenge of the 10k Heanor Pudding Run. On a soggy, grey Sunday morning Jodie completed the run raising over £500 FOR WTF and received her Matthew Walker Christmas Pudding!
You are a star, Jodie. Thank you.
Date: October 2023
On Saturday 29th October, WTF hosted its first 5k run inspired by Wayne Haslam and raised over £150.
Wayne Haslam contacted us because he wanted to support a local charity whose mission was close to his heart. Wayne ran 100 miles, from Ilkeston to Skegness, on a night when the wind and the rain was against him and made his challenge all the more difficult. He was incredible!
The 5k run was a circular route along the Nutbrook Trail from the Stute, Ilkeston. There were 50+ runners who all received a goody bag, and there were spot prizes for things like fancy dress and special numbers.
Even as runners were finishing, they were asking us to do it again. It’s on the agenda for the Events Committee!
Thank you to the Stute for hosting us and to Chris and Helen Chambers for organsing and everyone else who helped out in any way on the day. We raised over £150!
Date: June 2023
Our second Football 4 Charities event raises £2450 for WTF. What a game !
A great crowd gathered to watch Football 4 Charities take on Forest Legends at Ilkeston Town FCs New Manor Ground on June 18th.
The weather was fantastic – I should have taken the sunscreen!
Sam, Community Engagement Officer for Gigaclear, joined us as Match Sponsor, and chatted the afternoon away.
We were also blessed to be joined by mascots from West Hallam Junior FC who took part in the Beat the Keeper at half time.
The raffle was a great success and I think there were lots of happy winners!
With donations on the day, player sponsorship, and match sponsorship we raised an amazing £2450!
Thanks to everyone who volunteered and supported, and especially Eugon Bopp.
A great day out!
Date: April 2023
The Knit and Natter group at the Old Black Horse raise £1251 for WTF. Thank you so much !
The wonderful Knit and Natter group at the Old Black Horse in Mapperley village have raised another £251.50 for the Will Garvey Trust Foundation from their Easter raffle. The prizes were four beautifully created and presented Easter bunny and chocolate baskets. The team represented here by Jean and Cara (also host at the Old Black Horse), have worked tirelessly in support of WTF and have now raised £1251.50 for the Will Garvey Trust Foundation. We are so proud and privileged to have this local community group raise money for our important cause to improve the emotional health and well-being of young people.
Thank you Jean and Cara and all who Knit and Natter together at the Old Black Horse, Mapperley.
Date: March 2023
A fabulous quiz and £635 raised for the Will Garvey Trust Foundation on the night in the Pav Bar at West Hallam Cricket Club
A fabulous evening at a packed Pav Bar, West Hallam Cricket Club on 24th March, saw us raise £635 for WTF. A massive thank you to the wonderful supporters who turned up (many for the first time). Thanks to our quiz hosts Wayne Vickers and Kev Garvey for the challenging , inspiring and intriguing questions and also thanks to Helen (for the raffle too) who along with Jo and Rose organised us all on the night. And of course, thanks to everyone who made the delicious food for all who attended.
Here’s what one of our quiz teams said…
“It was a dark night as our handpicked team of “quizzers” arrived at the West Hallam Cricket Club pavilion with dreams of raising money for a great charity and winning a prize. The initial hurdle was to find a place to sit as the event was overwhelmingly popular and the club was heaving. After bagging a corner the hardest thing to do was to come up with the team name, this didn’t bode well for the evening. By the time we’d filled our glasses and started there were thirteen teams eagerly awaiting the questions from Wayne and Kev. The groans and cheers as the answers were read out showed that everyone was getting into the spirit of the evening. By the final round it was clear that our dreams of victory weren’t going to come true and the “Friendly Rivals” triumphed. The traditional card based games that followed cheered us up though and gave an opportunity to mock our team mates who seemed to be faring worse than us. Even though we didn’t win any prizes our dream of raising money for WTF was realised as the evening made £635. As we said our goodbyes to return home all of our first time guests wanted to come to the next event as they had really enjoyed the evening, even though some had driven from as far as Ashbourne. Thanks to all who helped organise such a really successful evening.”
Date: June 2022
Football 4 Charities event raises £1363 for WTF. Thank you so much, it was such fun and so valuable as well !
Matt Gough used to swim with Will at Ilkeston Swimming Club, many moons ago, and organizing a fundraiser has something he’s wanted to do since Will died. We had started making plans but then along came a national pandemic and everything was put on hold.
Matt plays for Football 4 Charities, a local charity that arranges football matches to help organisations like ours raise money and awareness for our causes. They also provide SEND friendly sessions through their junior team ‘F4C Pups’.
The Will Garvey Cup was eventually played for on Sunday 19th June, Father’s Day. It would also have been Will’s 27th birthday so it seemed absolutely appropriate to be watching a football match – he’d have loved it. He’d have loved it even more given that some Forest greats – including Eugen Bopp, Jamie Ward, and Jason Lee – turned up to support too.
Around 250 people turned up at Ilkeston Town FC’s New Manor Ground and enjoyed some great football. There was a raffle too and we raised a massive £1363 in donations and sponsorship.
We welcome any opportunity to talk to people about why talking fixes, and how having a conversation can sometimes be a life saver, and this is what makes events like this so important. We still need to be braver. We still need to challenge the stigma. And we still need to recognize that suicide doesn’t just happen to other people – it does happen to people like us. Send a text, invite a mate out, pop in and catch up with someone you’ve not seen in a while. Every little helps.
Thanks to everyone who joined us, and supported us, we really do appreciate it. Thanks to Sue Severn and Matt Gough especially for organisng!
Date: May 2022
Our first quiz night in absolutely ages (cos of the pandemic) but it was definitely worth the wait! And £350 was raised to support our Wellbeing Libraries.
Quizmaster Kev was on top form, with his usual range of mind boggling ideas for rounds. A lot of regulars joined in the fun and it was really encouraging to meet some new people too – really hope they come again. Two noticeable additions this time – our Aunty Nin and Uncle Chuck came all the way from Canada just to sample Kev’s legendary quiz. They’d been to one before a few years ago and complained about the lack of questions they could answer so Kev obligingly included a question about Canada’s great lakes – and they still got it wrong! They, and we, had a great night and raised £350 to help pay for the upkeep of the Wellbeing Libraries. Thanks to everyone who came and who provided raffle prizes and food.
Date: February 2022
Will’s gridiron friends raise £287 for Will Garvey Trust Foundation. Thank you so much for continuing to support Will and our charity through your fundraising.
Will loved playing American Football and his time as linebacker for Leeds Gryphons whilst he was at Uni was something he looked forward to and he became club secretary in his second year. Since Will died the Gryphons have supported WTF in many ways and this year is no exception. Over the month of February, they had a 45 for 45 Challenge, during which they ran, or rowed, 45km. 45 was Will’s playing number so this was a perfect challenge and they raised an impressive £287! We love the fact we are still in touch with the team Will loved playing for and look forward to many adventures alongside the Gryphons in the future.
Date: December 2021
Lees Brook Community School non-uniform day raises £637 for WTF
Matt Gough used to swim with Will at Ilkeston Swimming Club, many moons ago, and organizing a fundraiser has something he’s wanted to do since Will died. We had started making plans but then along came a national pandemic and everything was put on hold.
Matt plays for Football 4 Charities, a local charity that arranges football matches to help organisations like ours raise money and awareness for our causes. They also provide SEND friendly sessions through their junior team ‘F4C Pups’.
The Will Garvey Cup was eventually played for on Sunday 19th June, Father’s Day. It would also have been Will’s 27th birthday so it seemed absolutely appropriate to be watching a football match – he’d have loved it. He’d have loved it even more given that some Forest greats – including Eugen Bopp, Jamie Ward, and Jason Lee – turned up to support too.
Around 250 people turned up at Ilkeston Town FC’s New Manor Ground and enjoyed some great football. There was a raffle too and we raised a massive £1363 in donations and sponsorship.
We welcome any opportunity to talk to people about why talking fixes, and how having a conversation can sometimes be a life saver, and this is what makes events like this so important. We still need to be braver. We still need to challenge the stigma. And we still need to recognize that suicide doesn’t just happen to other people – it does happen to people like us. Send a text, invite a mate out, pop in and catch up with someone you’ve not seen in a while. Every little helps.
Thanks to everyone who joined us, and supported us, we really do appreciate it. Thanks to Sue Severn and Matt Gough especially for organisng!
Date: February 6th 2021
It was ‘virtual’; it was held in lots of houses; it was on Zoom; and it was great fun !
When you can’t meet in person, you can still meet virtually, and yes, its not the same, but you can still have great fun with your fellow guests !
Here’s what one of our guests said:
‘What a great night we had at the Will Garvey Trust Winter Ball, online, with a good number of friends and supporters.
Kevan and Joanna reminded us why we were there, to celebrate the life of Will, their son, and to update us, on the great work that the team are doing through the trust in Will’s memory.
In between the three courses we played bingo, card games and a raffle. Whilst eating we were entertained by Willfest 2020, remembering real life get togethers, Brew 45, BBQ, live music and fun.
The winter ball was a great success, to be able to dress up, eat, laugh and chat was a really refreshing change.
Thanks for organising and looking forward to next year.’ (Andy & Joanne)
Date: March 1st 2020
We enjoyed the first Quiz Night to be held at the Stute, home of Ilkeston RUFC – and what a night it was!
Despite many of the Stute’s regulars leaving right after the Rugby International had finished (lesson learned there), there were still a few left who joined in with the fantastic turn out of our regulars quizzers.
There was a really good buzz in the room, and being on a Sunday evening seemed to go down well: a great distraction form the Sunday evening blues.
With a fab selection of raffle prizes again, and a couple of card games, we managed to raise £280.00 towards the wellbeing libraries. A fantastic result! Thanks to everyone who came down to support us and thanks to Ilkeston RUFC for hosting us and providing supper, that was very much appreciated..
Date: January 18th 2020
Tom, Felix and Pete completed the Fan Dance, raised over £,1087 for the Will Garvey Trust Foundation and to their great credit, finished third overall. A remarkable achievement, we are so proud of you and grateful for your donation to us.
What are we doing?
We are doing the Fan Dance, which forms part of the UK Special Forces selection in the Brecon Beacons in Wales. Renowned not only for the challenges presented by the gradient and length of the 24km hike, but also the unpredictable and unforgiving weather; the Fan Dance is both a physical and mental challenge.
The team will be completing the challenge on 18 January, 2020, in the depths of the Welsh winter; carrying 35 lbs of equipment, plus supplies and water.
Why are we doing it?
Tom, Felix and Pete all went to the University of Leeds and played American Football for the Leeds Gryphons, where they met and played alongside Will Garvey. Will passed away during the final year of their degrees, which had a profound effect on the entire team. From then on, the Gryphons were determined to raise awareness of male mental health, making sure that nobody felt alone or that they couldn’t talk about the things that were affecting them and their wellbeing.
Over the past few years the Gryphons have continued to preserve Will Garvey’s legacy and have led a series of initiatives to raise awareness of male mental health both on campus and back home. While the group have moved away from Leeds and into different professions, their desire to make a difference has remained. As such, even though they live in different parts of the country, they wanted to get together and complete a challenge in memory of their friend.
Date: November 22nd 2019
Another wonderful quiz hosted by the innovative and teasing Quiz maestro – Kevan Garvey.
A raffle again was held on the night with prizes kindly donated by local businesses (see Our Friends page) and some card bingo games at the end tested the talents of the assembled quiz participants.
Food and equipment was generously provided by our organising team and drinks were available from our hosts – The Smalley Working Mens Club who provide the facilities.
The evening raising £400+ for the charity.
Date: September 29th 2019
One of our amazing supporters, Wayne, woke up one day and decided to join a local couch to 5 K. It was quite a journey, but what a result ! And £470 raised too. Great stuff, Wayne !
Little did he realise that it would lead him to embarking on months of training, come rain or shine, or even snow, around the highways and byways of West Hallam in preparation for the Robin Hood Half Marathon last weekend. Often supported in his training by his wife, Helen, Wayne stuck to his plan and kept us updated with his progress with regular training maps.
On a crisp Sunday morning Wayne set off running confidently with the intention of doing the 13 miles in under 2 hours. He smashed it! 1 hour 57! And he raised £470 for WTF too! A great effort and quite an inspiration. Well done, Wayne.
Date: August 17th 2019
Gameathons are an annual event for Dan Edwards. This year he has raised money for the Will Garvey Trust Foundation and raised a whopping £467 – BIG BIG THANKS Dan !!
Direct from Dan:
I did a 24 hour continuous gaming stream (which I have been doing annually for a few years now, for a bit of fun and to raise money for good causes like WTF).
I did this one at home with a few friends and together we raised our highest ever amount for WTF of £467 and we’re really pleased with this.
We played FIFA, Call Of Duty, Rocket League and Need For Speed mainly (my personal favourite is probably Fifa). A high point this year was realising that we had some viewers on the live stream, who were not family or friends, which hasn’t happened before, so it was nice to speak to different people and see we were actually being viewed.
It’s a bit of slog doing a 24 hour stream, and we hit a bit of a low point 16 hours in, when I realised I’d actually already been up for 25 hours! And this does weird things to your appetite – I’m always hungry – but I didn’t eat at all! But, we had a great laugh and knew that what we were doing was going to make a difference to the lives of young people, and that was definitely worth it.
Date: July 20th 2019
Vicki Brown, local Forever Living agent, invited WTF to host a ‘pamper party’ the proceeds of which would be donated to the charity. We didn’t hesitate at the prospect of raising money and enjoyed the first one so much we’ve arranged others since!
Vicki is awesome at making you feel at ease and never makes you feel under pressure to buy any of the natural aloe vera products. At our pamper party we each tried the products on ourselves, effectively having a full facial. My skin definitely felt 100% better afterwards.
Since then, Vicki has also donated sales of Forever Living’s hand sanitiser to WTF as well.
Date: March 29th 2019
Thank you for your support at the WTF quiz – £396 raised – fantastic !
Quiz Night!
Kev’s (almost) legendary quiz was back! He delivered the puns. He’s so bad he’s (almost) quite good. Where Mastermind meets Pointless meets the Teletubbies.
A great night was had, pitting our brains against the best West Hallam’s got. We laughed a lot, and helped to raise £396 for a local charity that wants to improve the lives of local young people.
Every penny counts and goes to the charity. (We want to train mental health first aiders and trainers so we can go into schools and begin programmes of early intervention. This will help us help prevent suicide in young people).
Date: February 13th 2019
Oh what a night! Our first Winter Ball just could not have been any better. A packed out room, in Marriott Breadsall Priory’s Pavilion Suite, delicious 3 course meal served by attentive staff, games to play, competitions to win, spot prizes, a raffle and to finish it all off, a DJ whose music filled the dance floor late into the night. And we raised £1750 for the charity !
A competition to design each table’s centre piece was hotly contested, with each designed around one of Will’s favourite things (Nottingham Forest, Harry Potter, Glastonbury, Science, Board Games, Lego, American Football, Comedy, Guardians of the Galaxy). Guests voted for their favourite and the winner was…Guardians of the Galaxy, a huge papier-mâché creation of Groot!
Key note speakers, Joanna and Kevan, Will’s parents, explored the impact of suicide on the individual, the family and the community and reaffirmed their commitment to creating talking communities, (through WTF) where everyone, male or female, young or old, rich or poor, feels able to talk about how they feel, and to ask for help without fear of judgement.
Breadsall Priory Marriott Hotel, was the perfect choice to hold the Ball: Will had worked there since he was just 16, mostly in the restaurant and then later in the bar. He loved it there and made some great friends. It’s also where Will’s dad worked before Will was born, and where Will’s parents held their wedding reception, in the very same Pavilion Suite. There is now a plaque in the staff room and flowers are placed there every year on Will’s anniversary. It has a special place in Garvey hearts.
Date: December 6th 2018
Thank you to everyone who took part in this year’s Hope Walk for Papyrus (Prevention of Young Suicide). We were really lucky with the weather, again, this year: beautiful clear blue sky and warm autumn sunshine.
It was a little different this year and our 13 mile walk took us in a loop from West Hallam to Ilkeston, then onto Heanor, through Smalley and Stanley Common and finally, 13 miles and 4 hours later, back to West Hallam.
Our walk took us through busy streets giving us the opportunity to talk to passers-by about our key message – why talking fixes! It gave us all an opportunity to talk too, in an environment where we feel safe to share our thoughts and feelings without fear of recrimination, discrimination or judgement. It was only too evident to some of us that walking and talking is simply one of the best ways to see an immediate improvement in our sense of mental wellbeing. Being outside, even when we least feel like it, helps us connect with nature, gets our bodies moving, and if we’re with someone else, gives us an outlet for our thoughts and feelings; all part of the highly recommended 5 steps to Wellbeing.
Please look out for the Hope Walk next year.
Date: December 6th 2017
On a miserable Saturday morning in October a motley crew of walkers set out on an epic walk from West Hallam to Nottingham Forest’s City Ground to raise awareness of Papyrus’s helpline for young people who are struggling and need support, advice or help.
Purple t-shirts and banners ensured high visibility along the main roads of the 16 mile route to the City Ground. Most of the walkers were also lifelong Forest fans, like Will, our son who died by suicide in 2016, and whose death has inspired our participation in the Hope Walk. Once they’d arrived, a great goal from Eric Licah warmed the walkers up and secured three points against local rivals Burton Albion. Nottingham Forest had also kindly included a preview of the Hope Walk in their match day programme at the last home game. Everything we do helps raise the profile of mental health, normalising the reality of challenging times and fluctuations in our sense of well-being. Increasing visibility also means that we are able to signpost people more effectively to services they need
Date: December 6th 2016
PAPYRUS is a suicide prevention charity.
We joined them in the Hope Walk because our son Will, died by suicide in May this year, and we wanted to show everyone who might have depression or anxiety, or might be struggling in any way, that there is hope and there is help.
PAPYRUS is a suicide prevention charity; a community of people, some of whom have been bereaved by suicide, some of whom have their own mental health challenges and some of whom simply want to make the world a better place for everyone.
We decided to join thousands of others across the country in October who were walking for hope and who were walking to prevent suicide with Papyrus.
We walked 16 miles from West Hallam to the City Ground along the major routes into Nottingham, ensuring our visibility so that the Hope Line number would be seen by the highest number of people. The weather was very kind to us: a warm autumnal sun shone along most of the route, and was very welcome during our stopover in Wollaton Park. Our final destination was the Anniversary Wall at the Trent End of the City Ground where Will has a brick. This is the entrance Will would enter the City Ground on match days and was a fitting way to end the walk.
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