News

We are delighted to announce the Finalist shortlist for our forthcoming Gala Dinner & Awards Night on the 19th October! Please see below list of finalists and categories, huge congratulations to everyone that has been shortlisted.

This is the Premier event of the year for the Foundation, in the form of a Gala dinner and Awards Ceremony. This is our way of saying thanks to our partners for their support by presenting awards to recognise this. We will also announce the winner of the prestigious Standing Tall Award. This is presented to the Foundation Partner who has made the biggest impact on the people we support. Not necessarily financial, though this is of course crucially important, but in terms of helping the Foundation support our user group. It doesn’t stop there though, because we have a number of other prestigious awards to hand out on the night, all listed below, to recognise the input of organisations that go beyond the pale in supporting us to do what we do. 

In addition to this, the event will allow to us to raise vital funds to continue the work we do and deliver our Mental and Physical Health, Addiction Support and intervention services.

There will be a drinks reception, 3 course dinner, awards ceremony, live auction, and musical entertainment, not forgetting the fabulous selfie booth mirror!

This will all be rounded off with a fantastic DJ. We want you to get dressed up, eat some amazing food, be entertained, and then dance your socks off, while we all celebrate your amazing support of the Standing Tall Foundation.

Here is a reminder of last year’s categories, winners and photos from the night.

If you want to book a table or places at the event, please get in touch ASAP as places are going fast and you don’t want to miss what is sure to be an epic night to remember!

CHARLIE@STANDINGTALLFOUNDATION.ORG.UK

Congratulations to everyone that has been listed as a finalist, we can’t wait to celebrate with you soon!

Thanks to everyone who came and joined us on Saturday 8th June for our very first football Derby to pay homage to the soldiers, sailors and airmen who landed on D-day and rewrote the future.

Our STF Vets Select team made up of veterans from the Army, Navy and RAF, as well as civilians, took on veterans from Armed Forces Community HQ CIC in our first head to head charity match!

The game was played to mark the 80th Anniversary of D-Day and to commemorate an epic tale, planned in Britain and fought on the beaches of Normandy.

The match took place at Ruskin Fitness Village, and there was a great turn out on the day from both sides.

Our lads came away victorious in the end with a 6-0 win and we hope to have a re-match very soon!

Firstly Thank you! What an amazing night it was as we saw over 200 people gather at The Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens on Saturday to attend an intimate yet entertaining event with  our charity founder Andy Reid MBE.

We have so much admiration for Andy  for sharing his incredible and inspirational story of how he has overcome adversity. The insights he divulged into his personal life will also never be forgotten, in particular the “Spicy Rat” story!

Joining Andy on the night was special guest and ex-Saints player Louie McCarthy – Scarsbrook, who enthralled the crowd with his cheeky banter and charisma and also our very own CEO John Tabern. Their stint on the sofa will remain in our memories as questions were fired at them by our effortlessly hilarious host and compere for the night – Pete Emmett.

A special mention is due to our Armed Forces Ambassador and fellow veteran John Massam, who shared his incredibly brave story and how the Foundation has helped him overcome hurdles in life.

An enormous thank you to Jess Cosy who delighted us with her beautiful singing throughout the night.

Finally, thank you to everybody that came, supported Andy and the Foundation, and played a part in making the event on Saturday such a huge success. The auction in particular raised a lot of money with a box of monster munch going for an unbelievable £300!! All the proceeds go directly to helping people in the community with their mental health, addiction issues and overall wellbeing.

We couldn’t have done it without you all! We are truly lucky and grateful to have all you wonderful people in our lives.

Please see below some photos from the night to re-live all the special (and for some of you, slightly hazy) memories!!

It’s been a busy week here at the Foundation, especially for our Addiction Support Worker and Wellbeing Coach Josh.

On Friday he delivered an exercise and wellbeing class for the Amputation Foundation at Ruskin Fitness. Using a combination and sequence of chair based exercises, the group were put through their paces with punches, seated squats and even star jumps! Each exercise was fully adaptable to suit each person’s needs and capabilities.

The Amputees and friends of the Foundation meet every last Friday of the month. If you are interested please get in touch.

Here are some images from the morning:

Our STF Vets Select Team were ecstatic to win their 3rd match in a row as they were victorious over FC Willowbrook at a recent Charity Game.

The lads have only played together a handful of times before, but really came together and played well as a team to emerge with a 3-2 victory on the day.

Our team is made up of Veterans across all 3 services – Army, Navy and RAF but also includes Civilians too. This is really important as it encourages integration between the two rather than “us” and “them” but also creates an amazing sense of camaraderie and team spirit.

If you are interested in becoming a part of the team, please email Josh@standingtallfoundation.org.uk

Here are some highlights from the day:

We are delighted to announce our latest Affiliate Partnership with TRS Training Ltd.

TRS Training Limited was established in 2011, with their head office located in St Helens. They specialise in recruitment and training solutions for businesses in road haulage, logistics and warehousing. They also provide training and apprenticeships to the logistics sector.

Their offering is vast, with commercial courses such as Transport Manager, Forklift Truck and Electric Vehicle Courses, as well as being a Bootcamp provider delivering LGV Driving. They also offer a Sector based Work Academy and Warehousing Skills Course.

They work with numerous training partners and charities such as Veterans into Logistics, The UK Warehousing Association and The Builders Merchants Federation. They also work with an impressive list of retailers such as Asda, Dunhelm, Greggs, B&M, Currys, Harrods, Matalan and McDonalds, to name but a few.

We are excited to have them onboard and look forward to working together, hopefully offering our service users the opportunity to up-skill or seek training and employment in the future.

If you are interested in becoming a partner of the Foundation, please get in touch with our Executive Officer Charlie:

charlie@standingtallfoundation.org.uk

GAME ON!! Come and watch the game on Easter Sunday as two local charities go head to head in this exciting match.

Our very own STF Vets Select team take on FC Willowbrook in their very first football battle!

All proceeds raised on the day will be split between both charities to help us continue to support the people we do in the community.

Our STF Vets Select team was established last year and is made up of players from the Army, RAF, Navy, STF Team members and civilians. They have only played a few matches together but have already proved to be a force to be reckoned with!

Back in October last year they were crowned winners of the TV Allstars Celebrity Football Match after securing a 2-0 victory. The lads are across a range of ages and backgrounds, but the camararderie is plain to see, and it’s great to be representing a Tri-Service of players.

Who will take the cup?! Come down and see for yourself on the 31st March.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR STF VETERANS SELECT TEAM, PLEASE GET IN TOUCH!

We are really excited and pleased to announce that local legend and ex-Saints player Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook is our new ambassador for the Foundation to support our Mental Health and Wellbeing initiatives!

Our Founders Andy and John have watched Louie play for Saints since 2009, and followed his career closely over this time. The pure dedication he has shown to not only the club, but also his local town of St Helens is admirable, putting his physical and mental health on the line to play for a team as Andy did when he served for his country in the Armed Forces.

Now that Louie has retired from the club, he doesn’t want to lose his sense of identity and is transitioning to become a Firefighter. Andy knows all too well about setting yourself up for the future by forging a different career path for yourself. The Fire service are passionate about supporting others, especially people with their mental health and Louie seems like a perfect advocate and fit for this.

As we all know, Louie has the most amazing banter, he lifts people’s spirits and there is certainly never a dull moment when he is around! He is also incredibly passionate about the Foundation and the work we do here to support people with mental and physical health and addiction issues.

All of these are fantastic attributes and reasons why we have welcomed him onboard with open arms as our new ambassador.

Louie speaking of his new appointment said:

‘I had no hesitation when Andy and John approached me about doing this, I’ve known both of them a long time now and can honestly say they’re top blokes who are doing a great job with this already, they’ve got the drive and ambition to really help people moving forward.’

Andy Reid MBE commented:

‘It’s fantastic to have Louie on board with the Foundation, he’s a popular lad and fits well with what the Foundation is about, he is concerned about mental health in players who find themselves outside the game and Well-Being in general. These areas are central tenets for my Foundation and we feel Louie’s recruitment, expands our experience and reach.’

Both Louie and Andy will be interviewed by seasoned host Pete Emmett on the 27th April at Saints Stadium for “An Audience with Andy Reid MBE”

Tickets are available HERE.

This week we were delighted to deliver a Wellbeing day here at the hub for Team 1C and the parents of children with cardiac issues.

The day was designed as a series of workshops where they learnt about different coping strategies, raised awareness of self-regulation and how to practice mind management techniques.

They also got a taster in the afternoon of a more holistic approach in the form of Reiki, as well as a physical and mental wellbeing session, and advice with their financial situations.

Massive thanks to our Counsellors Phil and Laura, as well as Kerry and Ellen for their sessions, not forgetting Phil from our partner  Allisons Financial.

We hope you all enjoyed the day and took away some learnings to help you in the future.

If you are interested in us delivering a Wellbeing Workshop for you or your team, please get in touch!

Here are some action pics from the day: