July 2022

SAVE THE DATE!!! We are delighted to announce we will be hosting our very own Standing Tall Foundation Gala Dinner and Awards Night on Thursday the 15th September. This will be held at the prestigious and fabulous Imperial War Museum North at Salford Quays.

The event is a celebration of our partners and the support they have given to the Foundation since it began. It will be recognising this with an awards ceremony and delicious 3 course meal (including wine and beer) as well as entertainment, speeches and of course a brilliant DJ for dancing!

The night will also be raising vital funds for the Foundation and Andy’s upcoming Kilimanjaro Challenge in October.

We would love to see you there so please do get in touch with our CEO and Co-Founder John if you want to book a table at the event:

john@standingtallfoundation.org.uk

You can view a show reel and details of the event to get you in the mood below!

We cannot thank our Partners enough for the continued support they have shown. This enables us to deliver our Mental Health Counselling and Addiction support services, as well as helping people on a group and individual level via our own initiatives, as well as the help we receive from partners.

We’d like to say a special thank you to Auxesia Homes and Cosey Homes for renewing their partnership and continuing their support of the Foundation.

This month, we have been delighted to welcome on board our new partner Totally Wicked, which you can find out more about below.

In addition to these, we are excited to introduce our “Friends of the Foundation” proposal, which is targeted at smaller, more local businesses. The overall aim of this is to be able to offer support in the form of networking opportunities and exclusive access to our Standing Tall Business Club, as well as fulfilling your CSR ambitions and obligations.

You can find out more about becoming a Friend of the Foundation HERE.

TOTALLY WICKED

Totally Wicked is one of the leading vape companies in the UK. Founded in 2008, they are one of the nation’s longest standing vape companies and have led the way not only with vape technology, but vape standards and vapers’ rights. They also have an expert Totally Wicked team which is now 360 people strong and growing!

Here at the Foundation, we are focused on the health and physical well-being of all Community Groups, and are therefore excited to be working with a company that promotes a healthier alternative to smoking. It’s totally wicked to have them on board!

You can read the full story about the Partnership HERE.

Here at STF, our key aim is to promote the mental and physical health of all community groups, which we further extend to those in financial hardship via the provision of grants, resources or services made available to us.

We do this by delivering free Mental Health Counselling services, and providing addiction support.  It has therefore been incredibly busy at the Foundation in the last few months, as we have not only been helping community groups via various initiatives and group sessions, but also people on an individual basis who have found themselves in need.

Here are some of the highlights from the last month:

Mental Health Support

Our qualified Mental Health Counsellor Phil has seen a steady increase in clients over the last few months, displaying a wide range of issues. In addition to his Counselling services, Phil has also been offering Auricular Acupuncture and Hypnotherapy as forms of alternative therapy.

Auricular Acupuncture involves inserting tiny needles into the ears to stimulate points throughout your body and restoring the flow of qi (energy).This is a fantastic technique used to tackle a wide range of disorders, such as anxiety, depression, stress, chronic pain, insomnia and addiction issues to name but a few! If you are interested, please do get in touch to book an appointment.

(It doesn’t hurt – honestly, as our Co-Founder Andy kindly demonstrated!).

Addiction Support

Our Addiction Support team, headed up by our Key Support Worker Chris, has been busy over the past few months, helping people to recover with their addiction issues.

Chris offers a service of individual recovery sessions to clients suffering with addiction, and proposes a structure of recovery based on his knowledge and experience. One of Chris’s clients had this to say:

“I had previously sought help from NHS services related to mental health and addiction treatment but never really got what I was looking for. Chris’ knowledge in CBT and recovery is exemplary and he truly goes the extra mile with his support. Chris is someone who has gone full circle himself which is useful to know as he has the life experience and you can see the program and resources working in his life. Chris has so much to offer people battling addiction, I have so much gratitude towards this foundation and Chris for all their support.”

Every Friday, we have been running an Addiction Support group to help people learn about the tools of recovery using a variety of CBT based methods. This is a power hour in a group based setting to help like minded people learn about the disease they suffer from. If you or anyone you know is struggling, please come along. One of Chris’s clients who attends the group regularly said:

“I was offered 121 recovery work sessions with Chris and also a group on a Friday which explores recovery tools and CBT techniques to deal with thoughts, feelings, cravings and urges. Amongst other things, the group has really helped with my confidence, and allowed me to speak to like minded people who have since become friends. The groups have a set recovery tool which has been thoroughly planned out and then delivered in a professional way.”

Housing Support

At the end of last week, Andy reached out to a young gentleman named Lewis on a St Helens online support group, as he saw he was struggling. They spoke on the phone and it unfortunately came to light that Lewis was currently homeless and living in some woodland nearby. A combination of recent and past traumatic events had led him to this point.

Without hesitation, our team made contact and Lewis came into the Foundation to speak with us. After assessing the situation, we were able to understand what he needed. With the help of our Foundation Partner Cosey Homes, we sorted and went to see a flat with him, as a possible new fixed abode.

Within 24 hours, we were delighted that Lewis was able to move in and receive the much needed and deserved support from his family and friends nearby.

We wish you the very best of luck Lewis and hope to see you at the Foundation very soon!

Our Co-Founder Andy Reid MBE, set out in sweltering temperatures on Sunday to carry the prestigious Queen’s Baton for the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2022.

Proudly representing the Northwest region, Andy carried the Baton through the beautiful Knowsley Safari Park with his family and friends there to support the amazing experience.

Since October 2021, the Baton has been travelling across the entire Commonwealth, travelling through Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Caribbean and the Americas, where over 7,500 Baton bearers have passed the Baton between communities.

The Commonwealth Games 2022 will begin at The Alexandra Stadium in Birmingham on the 28^th July. 286 games will be played over 11 days, right across the Midlands.

WELL DONE ANDY ON THIS MASSIVE ACHIEVEMENT!

In October this year, our Co-Founder Andy Reid MBE, Veteran and triple amputee will be taking on the ultimate challenge of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to raise vital funds for the Foundation.

Andy is no stranger to challenges, since encountering an IED in October 2009, he defied the medics to be on parade with his battalion in a matter of weeks, and has gone on to raise several hundred thousand pounds for some of the national charities that helped him and his family in the aftermath of his disability.

Now, he is by his own admission facing the biggest challenge ever, to scale the 18,000 feet to summit the mighty Kilimanjaro, and in the process raise funds to enable the Foundation to continue delivering the much needed Mental Health Counselling and Addiction Support Services we do to in the community and beyond.

Andy and his specialist team will head out in the advanced party on the 29th September to climb the highest freestanding mountain in the world.

In addition to this, 17 others in the main party will also be attempting the climb to raise money for the Foundation which we are extremely grateful to!

Andy will be facing and overcoming adversity, as well as demonstrating extreme strength, endurance and willpower to reach the summit. We are extremely proud and grateful to him and will be supporting him all the way!

If you would like to donate money to this fantastic event you can through Andy’s Just Giving Page HERE.

Andy also recently took part in an interview on ITV Granada Reports about the climb, which you can view in full HERE

GOOD LUCK ANDY!!!

Here at the Foundation, we are always delighted, excited and extremely grateful when we get the opportunity to partner and work with new companies. Our most recent addition is Totally Wicked – The World’s premier vaping retailer.

Totally Wicked is one of the leading vape companies in the UK. Founded in 2008, they are one of the nation’s longest standing vape companies and have led the way not only with vape technology, but vape standards and vapers’ rights. They also have an expert Totally Wicked team which is now 360 people strong and growing!

Their History

Back in 2008, many years before the term vaping had become commonplace, Jason Cropper a long-term smoker became aware of a new product concept called ‘the electronic cigarette’. Jason began his very personal journey of creating a business, and enlightening as many people as possible to the potential associated with such a transformative product.

To deliver on Jason’s ambitions, he realised that he needed to create not only a leading product, but a brand, a persona, and a personality that would represent everything that this business would stand for. With a subtle irony, Totally Wicked was born, and ‘Mr Wicked’ was the persona or character that would bring the personality of this amazing brand to life. At the same time, Jason created a mission statement that embodied a simple set of promises that would define the actions and responsibilities of the business from then up to present day, which you will find in every office and store carrying the Totally Wicked name.

In 2011 Fraser Cropper, Jason’s brother joined him to continue the Totally Wicked crusade, and from these early years Totally Wicked has continued to lead the industry that followed, and has specifically ‘empowered smokers to transform their lives’ with the world premier vaping products carrying this iconic name.

Chairman Fraser Cropper had this to say:

“On first meeting Andy and listening to his journey and his outlook on life, I was struck deeply by his resilience and tenacity to drive his post injury life to his own agenda.  Beyond Andy’s incredible mental strength, he has deep compassion for others who need support.

This is not only injured ex-servicemen, but also anyone that may require help and assistance that perhaps is not readily available.  This would be a commendable attribute for most people, but in Andy’s case, given his experiences and his permanently carried injuries, it is a remarkable deeply possessed selflessness.

I am very proud to welcome Andy to our team and the potential Totally Wicked and Andy can harness to bring positive change.”

Our Co-Founder Andy Reid MBE had this to say about the partnership:

“It was fantastic to bump into Fraser at the Totally Wicked Stadium, after being a brand ambassador for Totally Wicked for a number of years. I told Fraser about the Foundation and the work we do, and straight away he was keen to get involved as a partner and support the work we do with people’s health and well-being.”