April 2021

Without doubt one of the best feelings is helping someone on their way to getting their life back. We at the Foundation thrive on the opportunities to make a positive impact with a regular member of our community who may have fell on hard times.

One such individual come to our attention. A Veteran of many years service in the RAF, who was facing adverse problems and had lost his business. The Foundation was pleased to be able to respond to this individual positively and supported him with training he desperately required to place him in a better situation.

Andy Reid MBE said: “this individual contacted me direct and my Foundation was able respond and working in tandem with one of our Foundation Partners, KH Plant Training, we were able to meet his needs immediately. A great example of what we call Business and Charity working together. Sometimes its about a hand up, not a hand out.”

If your business would like to work with the STF as a Foundation Partner get in touch ….. because its the right thing to do! 

The Foundation is delighted to welcome Paramount Digital as its latest partner. The leading digital marketing agency based in St Helens has a reputation for creative campaigns that deliver clear, transparent results for clients.

Dave Hunter MD of Paramount said: “The work that Andy and The Standing Tall Foundation does to help both veterans and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds is an inspiration and has never been more important. It’s a real credit to the town, so for us it was a no brainer that we should be supporting it.”

Andy Reid MBE said: “We couldn’t be more pleased to have Dave Hunter and his team at Paramount Digital on board with us. Their breath of knowledge is a god send to the Foundation as we seek to ensure our online presence is relevant and effective.”

Support the STF …… because its the right thing to do!

Check out the information on this site regarding becoming a Foundation Partner.

Testimonial from an individual currently being supported by the STFs Drug and Alcohol Dependency sessions:

“My name is Charles”

“I have been struggling with addiction and complicated Mental Health problems for much of my life. I used to live with the stigma of being an addict, a lot of people don’t see or understand the person behind the disease of addiction and I just needed someone like minded to confide in and who understands me. In a very short time I have experienced tremendous growth, knowledge and self confidence whilst working with Chris and the Standing Tall Foundation. He talks about issues with grace and compassion. He is just the person I had been looking for to help me with my recovery. I can confidently say that Chris is making a positive impact on my life. He and the Standing Tall Foundation have my highest respect for the support they are extending to me in my time of need.”

John F Tabern CEO of the STF said: “The Foundation is delighted to be able to help this individual with support via Chris. We pride ourselves on delivering support where it is needed, at ground level for people frequently overlooked by society.”

The Foundation is delighted to announce its partnership with La Vita Nuova, a Health and Wellbeing Consortium based in Eccleston, St. Helens. They are a clinical consortium offering a range of private clinical services which include Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery, Podiatry/ Chiropody and Aesthetics services, however they have plans to grow their portfolio of services, with phases two and three opening in the summer, offering a wider range of clinic services such as General Surgery, Dental Cosmetics and Women’s Health clinics. Their aim in the future is to work alongside local NHS bodies to help improve healthcare within the local St Helens community.

Both Nicola Sung and Kerrie Mitchell (Managing Directors at LVN) have a strong passion to help the people of St. Helens, as do the rest of the consortium members and staff. Therefore they are extremely pleased to be supporting The Standing Tall Foundation. Over the next few weeks they have committed to helping the STF raise both money and awareness.

Speaking about the new partnership Nicky commented: “As our husbands serve in a range of public service forces and given that many of our friends and family have been affected by mental health challenges, we feel that we are able to reach out to the circles that we frequent and ask for heart felt donations for this cause. We wish The Standing Tall Foundation the very best of luck over the coming months and following the meetings we have had with the Team recently, we are more than certain that they will not fail to achieve their goals!”

Andy Reid MBE speaking about the new Partnership said: “Its fantastic that the Foundation has secured this opportunity to work with Nicky and her team at La Vita Nuova, we will be working closely with them on a number of initiatives as we move forward.”

The STF was delighted to run its innovative Goals After Pandemic (GAP) programme for a cohort of Willowbrook volunteers last week. The initiative was well received and we were delighted with the all round positive feedback. The GAP Project focuses on mental health, well-being, social interaction and goal setting in the wake of the Covid-19 Pandemic and seeks to provide support to members of the community, who may have faced the challenges of isolation or other factors brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and perhaps now face the daunting prospect of re-entering the work environment or facing the prospect of looking for a new career or job.

Ian Turnbull – Volunteer Engagement Lead for Willowbrook said: “just to say a huge thank you to Phil in particular for delivering the GAP course to our volunteers last week. The feedback has been excellent from all the volunteers and hopefully this is the start of a great partnership between Willowbrook and Standing Tall.”

The one day programme was delivered by Phil Parr who is the STFs lead for mental health counselling: “it was a very enjoyable thing to do, but more importantly I feel it delivered a meaningful and helpful day to those who attended.”

Some feedback from attendees:

• Extremely useful, lots of helpful information learned, good self help techniques. Presented superbly.
• Tutor was excellent and the information delivered in an easy to understand manner. Well planned and well lead.
• Mindfulness demonstration was excellent.
• Phil was very open, friendly and knowledgeable.
• Very interesting and stimulating course. Will be recommending to others.
• Very relaxed and well run course with the right mixture of talking and participation.
• As you know a whole day of training can be overwhelming however the time just flew by as the subject was so interesting and most importantly for me without jargon. The timings on each session was just right to allow us to let the information sink in. When this pandemic is over there will be so many people impacted by it and hopefully I can use your training to help others.

The STF are delighted with this feedback and plan to run further day courses, for which the Foundation has secured some grant funding. If your organisation would like to hear more about this innovative day course, get in touch.

The STF recognised and prioritised from the start that support for individuals suffering the blight of drug and alcohol dependency would be a part of its portfolio of programmes to help with this most debilitating of mental health illnesses. The consequences of this scourge of modern society are nothing short of devastating and potentially fatal. Working hard for months to get the Foundation set up and helping many individuals along the way, the STF is proud of what it has achieved in a short time; however it is pleased to reveal that three weeks ago it launched its support programme in relation to drug and alcohol dependency and that it is proceeding well, with clients signing up to be mentored through a 12 Step programme designed to help change lives for the better.

Delivery of this successful and proven format is by the Foundations own Chris Nicholson, who is committed to sharing the methodology to as many people in need as possible. In keeping with the STFs ethos, Chris draws on his own lived experience in making solid connections with the individuals he supports.

Andy Reid MBE commented: ‘We couldn’t be prouder of the way Chris has stepped up and driven this programme for the Foundation. Like myself, he uses his own life experiences to make the support he is delivering relevant. Bonds of trust are not forged easily, but when individuals in need see that the help they are receiving is from someone who knows where they are, then trust is not only established, but is sustainable.’

Chris Nicholson (pictured) added: ‘I’m very proud to be part of Andy’s Foundation and of the opportunity it is affording me to pass on what was so freely given to me. It is something I am very passionate about doing and am committed to.’

If you know of someone or indeed you are in of support yourself please contact us for further information.