The Matthew Elvidge Trust

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The Matthew Elvidge Trust 

Background

Matthew Elvidge was a bright, energetic and caring young man, who had everything to live for and yet, aged 23, he took his own life after a very short period of depression and, as is so common, we were not fully aware of the depth of his depression and how to help.

We would therefore like to do as much as we can to help others who are, or may be, in a similar situation, by increasing the awareness of depression and other mental health issues and preventing other young people from taking their own lives. We have therefore set up ‘The Matthew Elvidge Trust’.

What are the Objectives of the Trust?

The objectives of the Trust are:

- to increase the awareness of depression, its signs and behaviours that may lead to suicide in young people

- to equip and train people, who are best placed to identify those at risk from depression

- to encourage and help young people, who are suffering from depression to seek professional help in the form of counselling, psychotherapy and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)

- to reduce the stigma of depression

How will we achive these objectives?

We aim to achieve these objectives by raising funds and distributing them to charities, who work in this field and particularly those that are involved in:

- introducing education about depression into families, schools, colleges, universities and the work place

- providing training courses for parents, GPs, practice nurses and primary health care workers

- supporting and implementing mental health initiatives

- monitoring research into the causes, effects and treatments of depression and how this can be used to increase awareness

How is the Trust be funded? The Trust has been started with an initial lump sum gift and a wide variety of events have already raised over £150,000. We will ensure that its objectives are sustained over a long period through ongoing fundraising.