At 26, at the peak of her physical health, with a huge number of friends, in the middle of a highly regarded graduate scheme and with more hobbies and passions than most, Sophie was not someone people imagined would take her own life. However, in October 2020, this was the decision Sophie felt compelled to make.
While we, her family, knew that she struggled on and off with anxiety and low moods as life’s challenges came and went, Sophie always seemed incredibly proactive, doing everything you are ‘meant’ to do to look after your mental health: she dedicated time each day to get outside and exercise, invested in her friends and family, ate healthily, avoided alcohol, received regular emotion-focused acupuncture and also sought help from her GP. She was open and forthcoming about how she was feeling and often tried to talk through and process that with us, yet it is now clear she did not share, and we did not see, the depth of the struggle that ultimately took her life.
Following her untimely death, not only were we overcome with shock and grief, we were also overwhelmed by the number of stories just like hers. Stories of all the other seemingly happy, successful and thriving young men and women, and others, who felt they needed to suffer in silence.
Mental health and suicide awareness often focuses on looking for those who isolate themselves, are lethargic and demonstrate self-destructive behaviour. But what about those who seem happy, proactive and focused? How does one identify and reach out to those one wouldn’t necessarily think are at risk?
In January 2021, we set up The Sophie Clarke Foundation with the aim of raising awareness and financially supporting mental health charities that can help answer those questions: that offer unique approaches to mental health support, which are educating society on how we can all work to avoid so many unnecessary losses, and as part of this, are looking to reach those who aren’t asking for help.
Within our first year, The Sophie Clarke Foundation has fundraised over £200,000, principally through a range of events and challenges, all promoting pastimes and hobbies that have been found to help de-stress and relax individuals. From physical fitness and activity challenges to an inclusive art challenge and a Christmas flower arranging workshops, we have strived to run events for all ages and abilities, where everyone can get involved.
We have received incredible support not only from those who knew and loved Sophie, but also from others who have heard her story and have wanted to help us make a difference. We have also received support from a number of mental health charities, who we have in turn worked with and fundraised for.
In February 2021 to celebrate Sophie’s 27th birthday, the 27:270km Challenge saw 400+ individuals in over 20 countries around the world, running, cycling, swimming, walking 270km each, within 27 days. This spectacular challenge raised over £60,000 for Sea Sanctuary, a Cornwall based charity, who take an innovative and unique approach towards mental health support. Sea Sanctuary take their mental health therapy out of the office and into the water, harnessing the power of ‘blue health’: the concept that blue spaces, such as the sea, are beneficial for people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing. This approach is a wonderful way of helping those who are put off by stigma or the idea of traditional counselling and therapy, and at the same time, encompasses two areas very close to Sophie’s heart: Cornwall and the sea.
With the funds raised by the 27:270km Challenge, TSCF were able to support three Sea Sanctuary initiatives. Firstly, their ‘Pass it on Packs’. These packs are intended to reach individuals that are struggling with their mental health, who otherwise wouldn’t be able to access Sea Sanctuary’s services without the funding. The funds have also enabled their new floating Wellbeing and Trauma service, offering programmes and activities to support the Cornish Community, including those who have been in crisis and frequently referred to Sea Sanctuary by the Police. Finally, Sea Sanctuary are hosting the first of which should be an annual wellbeing event, ‘Seas the Day’, on 14 May 2022 in Polzeath, Cornwall, to raise awareness and reach out to those struggling, highlighting the help available to them.
For those looking for a less physical means of supporting and fundraising for TSCF, in 2021 we ran a summer art challenge, where we invited every age and artistic ability to consider what makes them “Love Life” and produce an artwork in line with this theme. We hosted free online and in-person tutorials, available to all participants, helping anyone who was a little reluctant or nervous to relax and unlock their creativity. We were overwhelmed by the 260+ art entries received, which gave our judging panel, consisting of Ian Hislop, David Beckham, Alixe Bovey and Henry Fraser, the difficult challenge of selecting 100 submissions to participate in a 10-day exhibition held on the 56th floor of 22 Bishopsgate, with spectacular views across the whole of London. The challenge concluded with an online and live auction, the latter hosted by Christie’s former head auctioneer, Hugh Edmeades, to generate a gross of over £75,000. This challenge was in aid of Sound Minds, a Wandsworth based mental health charity that uses music, film and art to transform lives, and PAPYRUS, a charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide.
Our most recent collaboration is with WFCS, a charity offering low or no cost counselling to those that need it, to support and fundraise for their Schools Today initiative. The Schools Today mission is to improve the resilience of society by empowering young people, parents and teachers to understand mental health, prioritise wellbeing and know when and how to access the right emotional support. Their team of mental health specialists takes a bespoke, whole-school approach, integrating personalised solutions into day-to-day school life and ensuring long-lasting, proactive and innovative wellbeing provisions. Between 2017 and 2021, 39.2% of 6-16 year-olds had experienced a deterioration in their mental health, increasing to 52.5% among 17-23-year-olds. Moreover, in 2021 62% of young people received no mental health support from school. In light of these figures, we are delighted to be supporting such a vital service and look forward to helping them change these statistics.
The first two events where we will be dedicating the funds raised to Schools Today are the Savills’ 24hr Spin and Ironman4Sophie.
On 26 May, Savills’ south-west residential offices invite you to stop by and support them as they complete a 24hr Spinathon in aid of Schools Today. Offices participating include 1 Church Road, Richmond, East Sheen, Barnes, Clapham, Northcote Road, Wandsworth and Battersea Park.
Ironman4Sophie will see four of Sophie’s friends completing their first ever Ironman on 5 June at the Ironman European Championships in Hamburg. Having been training hard, managing to fit a minimum of 2-3 hours of training in a day around their full-time jobs, they will start with a 3.8km swim through the Binnenalster and the Außenalster lakes, followed by 180km cycle from Ballindamm and finishing with a 42.2km run through the heart of the city. Top athletes competing in the Ironman are expected to complete the course in approximately 12 hours. One of the team, Lottie Leith, says “It’s definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done […] Hopefully funds raised will contribute to helping as many people as possible to make a different choice to the one Sophie felt she had to make in October 2020”.
Please visit our website or Instagram page @thesophieclarkefoundation to find out how you can donate and support these fundraisers. You can also check in on the Ironman preparations on their Instagram page @Ironman4Sophie.
Although Sophie is no longer with us, she continues to touch the lives of so many. Not only through the money raised in her memory, or the action she has inspired, but through the lives she has already saved. We have been contacted by an overwhelming number of people who said that Sophie’s story and legacy alone might just have saved their life. The Sophie Clarke Foundation will continue to raise awareness and use her story to encourage action and change in schools, workplaces and in society as a whole, and we are hugely grateful to everyone for all the support we have received so far.
Useful & Important information:
Free, 20-minute online training is offered at zerosuicidealliance.com. This potentially lifesaving training educates you on the signs to look for and what actions to take if you suspect someone is suicidal.
WFCS offer excellent confidential counselling and support services for all ages. More about Schools Today can be found on their website; schoolstoday.co.uk
Suicide & Co offer counselling to those bereaved by suicide; suicideandco.org
PAPYRUS is focused on prevention of young suicide; papyrus-uk.org
In addition to their individual counselling and sailing courses, Sea Sanctuary can provide corporate sails which offer a unique approach to employee wellbeing and teambuilding.
Website: thesophieclarkefoundation.com
Instagram: @thesophieclarkefoundation