#camerongrant

[bablake]

Supporting Young People’s Mental Health: The Cameron Grant Memorial Trust

At Bablake, we are proud of our strong sense of community and the way we come together to support causes that truly matter. In fact, we welcomed Hannah Lumb from Macmillan into school last week and were surprised and delighted to learn that, over several years, we have raised £17, 860.12 for this wonderful charity!

This term, we would like to highlight the incredible work of the Cameron Grant Memorial Trust, a charity with a very special connection to Bablake. Cameron Grant was a much-loved pupil at Bablake. He took his own life in November 2014 aged just 21 and had suffered from depression for many years before he died but managed to hide this from everyone who knew him. Outwardly he was always smiling and was the one who was there to cheer everyone else up.

His legacy lives on through the work of the Trust established in his name, which is dedicated to supporting young people’s mental health and wellbeing. The Trust aims to:

Raise awareness of mental health issues among young people

Provide practical advice and accessible support

Encourage open conversations so that no young person feels alone

The charity’s work is both vital and inspiring, and it aligns closely with our own commitment to ensuring that every pupil feels supported, heard and valued. Cameron’s parents often come into school to speak to Sixth Form students about him, the Trust and the support that is available.

To support the Trust, we will be holding a Non-Uniform Day on Friday 3rd July – the final day of the Summer Term. Pupils are invited to come into school in their own clothes in exchange for a voluntary donation of £2.00. This is a simple but meaningful way for our community to raise funds for an important cause, to show solidarity with young people who may be struggling and to continue Cameron’s legacy of care and kindness.

We are also delighted to be partnered with Verdo Lounge in Sutton Coldfield, which is raising money for the charity throughout June. On Wednesday 24th June, BlackTone, Bablake’s talented Year 9 band, will be performing at Verdo from 6.00pm. Fresh from their success in winning Battle of the Bands, BlackTone are already making a name for themselves with their energy and musical talent. This promises to be a fantastic evening of live music supporting an important cause. While Sutton Coldfield may not be on the doorstep for everyone, I do hope that some of you will be able to attend (it is only a short drive from Hampton/Balsall Common/Meriden!)

As usual, we will collect £2.00 for the Non-Uniform Day and pupils will be able to bring this in on any day during the final week of term. If you would like to donate more to the Trust, please use the link https://www.justgiving.com/page/verdo-lounge-camerongrantmemorialtrust so that it is included in our joint efforts with Verdo. All money raised will go directly to the Trust.

By supporting the Cameron Grant Memorial Trust, we are not only raising funds but also helping to build a culture where young people feel safe to talk, to seek help and to support one another. Thank you, as always, for your continued support in making our school community such a caring and compassionate

[bablake]

It’s OK

Last Friday we marked Children’s Mental Health Week by wearing an item of clothing inside out. It was also a good opportunity to raise money for the Cameron Grant Memorial Trust. Cameron, who was a former pupil, took his own life in November 2014 aged just 21. He suffered from depression for many years before he died, but managed to hide this from everyone who knew him. He seemed happy at university and was planning to do a master’s degree. Always smiling, he was the one who was there to cheer everyone else up.

We cannot feel on top of the world all of the time. Some of us are more predisposed to optimism and positivity than others are but can therefore find it hard to admit when we are not great. It is easy to automatically answer, “Fine, thank you”, when you are actually feeling under the weather.

We hope that our young people will have many more ‘ups’ than ‘downs’ and that they will be able to cherish very happy memories of their school days. We need to continue to emphasise the importance of positive mental health, help them to build resilience and to pick themselves up when they fall. If, however, the ‘downs’ begin to outnumber the ‘ups’, it is important that they seek support and that we then offer that support before the situation deteriorates. Help is always at hand, and timely help for anxiety can make a big difference. Our pastoral team, including, form tutors, year heads, the chaplain, nurses and our counsellors all can provide support. We must also keep those trusting and loving channels of communication open, to let our children know that it is OK to feel down from time to time, and to be sensitive to any significant changes in mood or habit.

It has been a long half term and unlike most of the rest of the country, we have another week to go! Those who have been involved with the fantastic production of Fame will be particularly tired. Thank you to all who supported the show; it was yet another demonstration of the talent and opportunities at Bablake. The teamwork involved was impressive – a large group of people working together to achieve a common aim. Those involved are likely to remember the ‘ups’ (and ‘downs’) for a long time. I hope you have a restful weekend.

(Bulletin No 25 - 14th February 2020)

 Photo Credit: Reach