It's not easy to talk about, but we must...
A modest project to buy a bench on which anyone can sit, talk and listen has highlighted the power of those moments as a force for good, and the heartrending scale of the impact of suicide.
Dear reader,
A slightly different edition today.
Rather than go big on business, we’ve ended up homing in on a very small project by a single person - former businesswoman Jane Roberts’ attempts to raise just £2,300 for a bench in her home town of Stroud.
For us, the modest nature of the project and the big potential prize - to help save the lives of more of us, help support those with the darkest thoughts, and to bring people together to brighten their days - is somehow all the more powerful for it.
Roberts’ efforts highlight the scale of the impact of suicide in Gloucestershire, and gave us a chance to speak to county-based charity Sunflowers Suicide Support, which backs what she is doing.
The charity tells is that last year alone it extended its services to more than 600 of us.
We’ve added the link to her JustGiving page at the foot of the article so you can help.
If you want to hear her story and get understand the impact she has been quietly having on probably hundreds of lives since her son’s death in 2020, we provide a link to our big interview with her from 2024 too.
Some people are simply inspirational.
Best regards,
Editor | 07956 926061 | LinkedIn: Andrew Merrell | andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk
Briefing notes…
⚽ Cheltenham Town FC has confirmed the appointment of James Watts as its new managing director. Watts joins the Gloucestershire club from Swindon Town where he was commercial director. Owner of the Robins, Mike Garlick, called the club’s new MD “the standout candidate” in a “thorough recruitment process”.
💷💷 Absorbed and some might think disappeared into Gloucestershire County Council when it swallowed GFirst LEP whole, the Invest in Gloucestershire team is alive and well, it seems. News has emerged it will be at UK’s Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) manning an exhibition stand championing the county. Part of that is promoting its pedigree in cyber and digital, advanced engineering, agri‑tech, clean aerospace and green technologies. On Tuesday 19 May it will be part of a panel discussion entitled Gloucestershire: Accelerating the Growth of Resilient Technology Clusters.
💷⚖️ A deal north of the border in Scotland might not sound of any relevance to Gloucestershire, but read on... VINCI Energies has bought Irvine-based telecoms infrastructure services firm Novo Technologies Ltd for an undisclosed sum. It swells VINCI Energy’s staff numbers by 71 and apparently creates a ‘significant opportunity’ for both firms. Helping make the deal happen was Matt Lennon, director of corporate at Cheltenham-headquartered Sherbornes Solicitors. The firm has acted as legal adviser for Novo Technologies for the last seven years. VINCI has now made nearly 50 acquisitions going back to 2017.
🔋 Andy MacPherson has joined Severn Wye Energy Agency as its new chief executive. According to the registered charity, MacPherson has a strong background in the energy sector, having held chief executive and director roles leading organisations through periods of growth and transformation and extensive experience working across both public and private sectors, alongside a proven track record in negotiating public sector funding and support. Severn & Wye EA helps people change the way they use energy to meet the urgent need for warm, safe homes now and to create a future driven by clean energy.
🎶According to Cheltenham Jazz Festival it has just has celebrated its most successful year to date, with its 30th anniversary edition welcoming record numbers of festival-goers to Montpellier Gardens over the Bank Holiday weekend. It’s now been three decades since its foundation. This year it sold more than 41,000 tickets.
The Raikes Journal is a community interest company. Everything you read is made possible by our incredible Founding Partners: QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire College, Merrell People, our sponsors, our Founding Members and wonderful paying subscribers.
Readers who upgrade to become a paid subscriber become part of this CIC too (from £2.30 a week). It helps make us sustainable, allows you to see past the paywalls, comment on our stories, and know you’re making possible the county’s only editorially-led digital magazine dedicated to delivering quality journalism for Gloucestershire about its businesses, charities, education and training sectors.
Raikes is the only independent website approved to use the BBC’s local Government copy. It recognises Raikes as independent journalism.
Diary dates…
Tonight at 7pm to 9.30pm. Cotswold Networking Cheltenham May 2026 Meet-up at Dunkertons ParkCharlton Kings. More here.
Tuesday:
Leadership matters – How to replace stress with peace & profit at The Growth Hub, Tewkesbury, from 9am to 1pm. More here.
Wednesday:
Be your own boss: How to start and run your own business. A seminar at The Growth Hub, Cirencester, from 9.30am to 3.30pm. More here.
Thursday:.
The Marketing Meetup IRL at Clockwise Coworking & Office Space in Cheltenham from 6pm to 8pm. More here.
Friday:
BNI Cheltenham meet up at Leonardo Hotel Cheltenham from 7am. More here.
Worth knowing too…
📖 Realising Good Growth: a Practical Guide for Business Leaders - that’s not the name of the event; it’s the name of the book whose ideas the event will unpack. Authors. Professor Steve Kempster and Dr Stewart Barnes will discuss their key ideas, including why purpose-led business is also good business. Every time the QuoLux team has staged a similar event it’s been the best-attended business event of the year in Gloucestershire. Due to take place on Monday 18 May from 5pm to 8pm at Oxstalls Campus, University of Gloucestershire, GL2 9HW. More here.
💻 Food and drink producers, suppliers, farming and hospitality businesses are being summoned to a meeting at Cheltenham’s Hub8 MX on Thursday 21 May staged by Food For Thought CIC. Lorrin White, the former CEO of Bamboo Technology and now head of marketing and development at HCR Law, will give a masterclass on how to use Microsoft 365 to reclaim your time and increase revenue and efficiency. Subsidised by Made in Gloucestershire, The Growth Hub and Gloucestershire County Council. From 10am till noon. Tickets are £10. More here.
It’s not easy to talk about, but we must...
A modest project to buy a bench on which anyone can sit, talk and listen has highlighted the power of those moments as a force for good, and the heartrending scale of the impact of suicide in Gloucestershire.
By Andrew Merrell.
Suicide is not an easy subject to talk about, but talking about it just a little bit more and doing that other significant bit - listening - could have a deep and meaningful impact for so many.
That’s what Jane Roberts, a retired businesswoman from Stroud thinks, and that’s what the Gloucestershire-headquartered charity Sunflowers Suicide Support believes too.
The Stonehouse-headquartered charity supports those impacted by suicide, and Roberts knows first-hand how powerful having somewhere this very simple human interaction can take place can be.
Two years ago when Raikes was re-launching this journalist went to talk to her at Woodruffs café in her home town, to hear how her own son died by suicide in 2020.
When we spoke she was in the throes of self-funding a county-wide project to ensure Gloucestershire becomes one of the best places in the county to live if you are young and have ADHD.
Her son’s own challenges, she believes, stemmed in part from his own personal battles with ADHD that had snowballed into bigger mental health struggles, and she’d chosen to spend the money saved for a deposit to help get him a secure place to live to help try to ensure other children did not face the same obstacles as Ben.
Now, inspired by similar projects elsewhere, she’s fundraising to create a simple, public space where people can go to talk in the hope it can improve the lives of many more.
“The idea is the brainchild of ex-Spurs footballer Mickey Hazard, who set up Legend on the Bench charity after the suicide of his nephew,” said Roberts.
“They install suicide prevention benches in public places and there are already over 100 benches in the UK but none in Gloucestershire yet.
“The benches have a QR code and discreet printed information on the bench directing users to support groups and helplines.
“I got the idea when I read on the BBC website that a lady called Mary Barnes has just fundraised successfully for a bench, yet to be installed in Gloucester.”
Roberts’ determination to ensure the legacy of the unimaginable grief she experienced as a mother at the death of her son, Ben Brimley, and trying to process what might have been if help and support and knowledge had been there for him is awe-inspiring.
“I particularly like the way it says ‘Seeking help is a sign of strength’ at the top of the page, because I know that many people, especially men, don’t feel comfortable asking for help because they see it as a weakness,” she said, speaking about the Legend on the Bench campaign.
Similar emotions and spirit probably gave birth to Sunflowers Suicide Support, which was founded in Gloucestershire by the Morris family to support others and help prevent further tragedy following the death of Pete Morris, who took his own life in September 2016 at 29 years old.
According to Government figures almost 6,000 people die by suicide every year in the UK.
“It’s a total that has remained similar since 1981 according to ONS, so more needs to be done to reduce it,” said Roberts.
Harriett Matthews, engagement and communications officer at Sunflowers Suicide Support gave just some insight into the scale of the impact in Gloucestershire.
“We had 213 new enquiries for the 25/26 year and the total amount of people supported in 25/26 was 656,” said Matthews.
When you consider the charity can only deal with those who reach out or those who know its services exist, it brings home just how many people battle every day as a result of suicide or thoughts of suicide.
“A project like Jane’s can make a huge difference to our charity to signpost that we are here to offer support and make suicide less of a ‘taboo’ subject,” added Matthews.
“Our safeTALK and ASIST training that we offer means we are striving to make mental health and the subject of suicide more openly discussed so that suicide can be significantly reduced and eventually eradicated.
“Project’s such as Jane’s bench also help to reduce the stigma around mental health and get people talking. Just one conversation can make all the difference to someone’s day/week/life!
“As you rightly said, the subject of suicide can be one that is not openly discussed and many want to keep private, however, openly talking and encouraging conversations about ,mental health and suicide can mean those struggling and even families and friends affected by suicide can have a safe space to open up.”
SafeTALK is a half-day (approximately 3.5 to 4 hours) suicide alertness training workshop and ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) is a two-day, face-to-face interactive workshop designed to teach participants how to provide suicide first aid and intervene with individuals at risk of suicide.
You can help support Jane’s campaign via her Justgiving page and find out more about Sunflowers Suicide Support here.
If you are struggling to cope you can call the Samaritans charity for free on 116 123 (UK and the Republic of Ireland) or contact other sources of support, such as those listed on the NHS help for suicidal thoughts web page.