Funeral director raises thousands for charity
A funeral home has raised around £5,000 for a mental health charity.
Forever Together Funeral Directors, based in Allaway Avenue, Paulsgrove, held a ball, in which all proceeds went towards mental health organisation, Mind.
More than 200 people attended the ball at the Pyramids Centre in Southsea, which was kindly donated to the event for the night.
The black-tie event included a performance from Dexi Dance Academy, a presentation about the charity, a heartfelt performance from Jordan Duke and a photo booth. There was also a DJ and jazz band present.
The Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, Lee Mason, attended the event and gave a touching speech regarding his experiences with mental health.
Companies across Portsmouth donated goods for the raffle including a flat screen TV, a paid hotel stay and West End show and two cash prizes of £250.
Denise Chapman, Director of Forever Together, said: “We had the idea to organise this event in May after noticing how many people come in who have been affected by mental health issues.”
Ian Grant, another of the funeral directors, added: “We want to give back to the community.”
Denise attributed much of the event’s success to fellow funeral director, Ben Ferguson and other members of staff Bobbi Harvey and Elkie Pilkington.
She said: “I only had the original idea, Ben, Bobbi and Elkie put all the work in to make sure the ball was a massive success!”
The money raised from the ball will be used by Mind to keep doing the important work that they do across the UK. Mind provides professional counselling for sufferers across the country in more than 130 locations.
It is estimated that one in five people are now affected by mental health issues, showing the true magnitude of the problem.
Find out more about Mind at: https://www.mind.org.uk/
