News & Events

Trust wins Fleet Half Marathon Award

26 March, 2012

The Matthew Elvidge Trust recorded the highest number of people running for a charity and the Award for the lowest average time for a charity at the Fleet Half Marathon on Sunday March 25th 2012.

We had 120 runners, well over 600 donations, were seen by 1,000s of people on the day and by hunderds of thousands, who watched Meridian TV News:
http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2012-03-25/the-fleet-half-marathon/

We raised over £25,000 for the work of the Trust and thank you to our amazing runners and supporters, who are doing so much to increase the awareness of anxiety and depression, help people to understand the signs and ensure people receive the right professional help.

Do look at our Facebook page and please 'Like' it.
http://www.facebook.com/TheMatthewElvidgeTrust

With huge thanks for all your support,

The Elvidge Family and Trustees

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Mental Wealth, UK Awards 2012

5 February, 2012

Hannah Cowan, Cambridge University receiving the 'Best New Group' Award

Press Release by Mental Wealth,UK

"On Saturday 28th January the Mental Wealth,UK 25by2012 campaign was celebrated with an evening event in Leeds, which brought together representatives from a dozen groups and an assortment of staff and supporters.

With support from the Matthew Elvidge Trust, we were able to recognise some of the standout contributions from the 25 groups during 2011. The Matthew Elvidge Award was introduced in November 2011, promising to recognise significant contributions to campus mental health promotion. After much deliberation, the winners (each of whom were presented with glass memorabilia by Hamish Elvidge) were the Mental Wealth groups at Cardiff, St Andrews, and Cambridge. Hamish Elvidge said:

 
“It was a great privilege to present the 2012 Mental Wealth UK Matthew Elvidge Awards for the ‘best overall contribution’ and  ‘best new group’. All the shortlisted universities have done amazing work to bring mental health and well being out of the shadows and encourage students to share their feelings and seek the right professional help.
 
Many congratulations to Cardiff and St Andrews (best overall contribution) and to Cambridge (best new group) for their creative, innovative and brave campaigning and the way they have engaged students and university services in their extraordinary work. Every group should be very proud of what it has achieved……overall a wonderful evening to celebrate the work of some wonderful young people”.
 
Thanks to all those that made it to the evening, and well done to each of the 25. On the night we also waved farewell to the manager of the 25by2012 campaign, Nathaniel, who said, "To all of those involved with groups, I'd like to say that it's been a joy working with you all these past six months. Thanks for your enthusiasm, passion and energy, and for making my job such a rewarding one…It's been an adventure, and it's fantastic to see 25 groups in place at the end of it. A great step forward for the mental health of university students."
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Jonny Wilkinson's battle with depression

5 December, 2011

In his latest book, Jonny Wilkinson talks about his battle with depression, which is discussed in this article in the Daily Mail.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-2059132/Jonnys-battle-obsession-despair-Id-self-harm-scream-water.html
An extract from the book desribes how he was feeling at one part of his rugby career:
"This starts as a thought, a single negative notion. Yet the more I try to figure it out, the further away I am from an answer. I start sleeping terribly, three or four hours a night.'

Years later, Wilkinson was forced to take sleeping tablets, prescribed by Newcastle club doctor Graeme Wilkes, to help combat his insomnia, but even by the end of the 2002 summer he had reached breaking point.

'A sense of helplessness dominates my summer days,' he says. 'Everything feels pointless, and my natural reaction is to treat the problem as I do my kicking - right, work it out and stay here working it out until you have done so. But by focusing so intensely, I just make it worse.

'My obsessive side has truly kicked in. I get back from training one day with this darkness inhabiting my brain. I go up to the Slaley Hall Hotel. Usually, I use their pool to relax.

'This time, I make sure that no-one else is around, lower myself into the water until I'm completely submerged, and then I let out a scream of total frustration."

  

 
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Matthew Elvidge Trust supports Mental Wealth UK Awards

2 December, 2011

The Matthew Elvidge Trust is sponsoring the ‘Matthew Elvidge Award’, which will recognise an excellent example of student-led mental health and well-being work during 2011 and the winner(s)  will be awarded a cash prize for future mental health campaigning.

The award is being made at a Mental Wealth UK dinner being held in Leeds on January 28th 2012.

Read more on the Mental Wealth UK website:
http://www.mentalwealthuk.com/news/announcing-the-2011-matthew-elvidge-award-recognising-mental-wealth-initiatives


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30/30 Cricket at Hartley Wintney - September 18th 2011

19 September, 2011

On Sunday September 18th 22 talented cricketers braved the rain showers at Hartley Wintney for the inaugural charity cricket match between Newcastle University and a Hartley Wintney XI. Many of Matthew's flat mates from Uni were playing, as well as many local friends and family. It was a tight game with HW scoring 204 and Newcastle all out in the final over of the day for 186, with the sun shining.

A raffle was held during the day kindly sponsored by Misto, Auriol Wines, Hartley Wintney Traditional Butchers, Whitewater Nursery, Oakley Hall Conferences, Michael Hollyman Personal Training, Colin Horwood Tree Surgeon as well as L'Oreal, i-Realise, Ultrasis, Beating the Blues and International Sports Management. This raised over £1,000 for our work.

It was a great day enjoyed by many spectators. Thank you all for you support and to the Cricketers for allowing us to invade the pub for our raffle.

The Elvidge Family and Trustees

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