Council staff raise thousands for suicide charity
By Matt Hall | 12th April 2019
Staff and contractors at Stroud District Council have raised £3,460 over the past 12 months for a local charity.
Last year the council's charity group decided to adopt a local charity, Sunflowers Suicide Support, to be the focus of their fundraising efforts - alongside national charities such as Comic Relief and Children in Need.
Tara Skidmore, chair of Stroud District Council's charity group said: "When Sunflowers Suicide Support was chosen as our charity of the year, we hoped to raise £1,000 on their behalf. We've achieved more than three times that amount which is absolutely amazing.
"We've had lots of support from local companies who have helped by providing everything from burgers for the barbeque to raffle prizes,
"One company sent a cheque for £1,000 when they heard about our fundraising plans and an employee at another ran the Stroud half marathon in aid of Sunflowers."
Sunflowers Suicide Support was set up by the family of Randwick resident Pete Morris, after he took his own life in 2016 at the age of 29. Pete's family found that there was a lack of specialist support in Gloucestershire, so founded the charity with the aims of suicide prevention and postvention - support that helps those bereaved by suicide.
Pete's sister, Abbie Warren said: "What an incredible amount raised by SDC. We would like to thank you all so much for your hard work fundraising and for all your donations.
"We have lots of plans for 2019 which this money will support. We have just secured a premises locally where we will deliver our Grief Recovery Courses as well as other additional support. We are also in the process of setting up a family support worker service for children bereaved by suicide."
Now the year of fundraising on behalf of Sunflowers Suicide Support is over council staff are in the process of choosing another local charity to be the focus of fundraising efforts.
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