CBH staff make a racquet for Suicide Crisis

The weather might be very autumnal at the moment but that isn’t stopping Cheltenham Borough Homes (CBH) staff from turning the Montpelier Gardens tennis courts back to the summer with a very special tournament.

Come rain or shine, on Friday 4^th October, colleagues from across the business will be bringing a bit of the SW1 style to Cheltenham as they take part in a fundraising event in aid of the company’s charity of the year, Suicide Crisis.

The Cheltenham based charity was formed in 2012 to offer support to people who are experiencing suicidal feelings – especially supporting people who are feeling that way as a result of traumatic experience or experiences. Their small team of dedicated, caring, well-qualified individuals offer a safe and supportive environment to help people move out of crisis into recovery.

To support the fantastic work that Suicide Crisis does, CBH staff are donning their whites and rallying to the cause to raise money with an ace afternoon of tennis.

With a very broad range of tennis ability extending from never having picked up a racquet, through to county level competitors, there’ll be more than a hint of hilarity served up.

The tournament was the idea of Abi Masters, Community Investment Officer at CBH and a fully trained tennis coach.

She said: “We raise money all year round for our charity of the year through dress down days, bake sales and even half marathons – but we wanted to do something a bit different!

“The work that Suicide Crisis do is so important, so we’re bringing a Wimbledon style atmosphere to the courts in Montpelier Gardens to raise extra money for them.

“I’m really grateful to Jenny Moss at In The Park for helping us out and letting us use the courts for free so we can raise as much money as possible for this amazing charity.”

Joy Hibbins from Suicide Crisis, said: “We rely heavily on organisations and individuals raising money for our charity, so it’s wonderful that CBH has made Suicide Crisis their charity of the year. And it’s great that they’re doing such a healthy, outdoor activity to raise money, too: Exercise and spending time with friends and supportive colleagues can be so therapeutic and beneficial for your mental health.

“Their event is well-timed, as it takes place in the lead-up to World Mental Health Day on 10th October – the theme this year is suicide prevention. CBH is helping to highlight this issue and is also raising awareness that our Suicide Crisis Centres are open 365 days of the year providing face to face support to people at risk of suicide.” 

Keep an eye on our social media channels on Friday 4^th October for live coverage from centre of Cheltenham courts!