Turning a tragic loss into a big positive
FUND TO HELP YOUNG PEOPLE IN MEMORY OF 28-YEAR-OLD
A GROUP brought together by the death of a mutual friend last year have joined forces to launch a fund in his memory.
Leicester Tigers star Dan Cole is backing the group behind The Max Hunter Fund, which aims to help young people address their feelings.
It will be launched next month through a marathon fund-raising event the group has organised called “28 Not Out”.
The 28-hours of non-stop fund-raising on Friday, July 10 and Saturday, July 11, in which everyone can get involved, will celebrate the life and loves of sports fan Max, who took his own life aged 28.
All deeply shaken by the loss, the friends wanted to do something positive and decided to launch the fund to directly help other young people to open up through the power of sport.
The Max Hunter Fund will be delivered via The Mintridge Foundation charity, and will provide mentoring programmes for young people across the UK focusing on Max’s favourite sports.
It will encourage a new dialogue around changing and challenging stereotypes, alongside focusing on the importance of looking after our mental health just as we do with our physical.
Dan, who will be part of an online panel discussing mental health, said: “I am really looking forward to contributing to the 28 Not Out event and being able to join the discussion around mental health and sport.
“I feel honoured to be invited to take part in this very important conversation, alongside some brilliant mental health experts, all while raising money for a fund that will have a positive impact on many young people’s lives.”
Alex Wallace, founder of The Mintridge Foundation, said: “Suicide and mental health continue to be incredibly difficult topics to talk about, particularly for young people and that is why we are determined to change that narrative.
“We have found that it’s not always as simple as ‘opening up,’ but what we want to encourage is for everyone to acknowledge their feelings on a regular basis and that is why we have created the Max Hunter Fund within the foundation.
“Max had previously fund-raised for us as he saw the benefit the mentoring can have on young people.”
The activity line-up for 28 Not Out, which has now been tailored to work under lockdown restrictions, starts at 6pm on the Friday with A Minute Against Silence on Facebook Live, followed by an online raffle with prizes including a signed Jonny Wilkinson shirt, and a discussion on mental health with panellists including Dan Griffin, of Stamford Rugby Club and a great friend, England star Dan Cole and psychotherapist Gemma Saggers.
On the Saturday, one friend will be running 28 miles, there is a 28-minute virtual yoga session and Stamford RFC players will be cycling 50 miles each, a total of over 1,000 miles collectively.
Anyone, anywhere can get involved with their own activity within the 28-hour period to raise funds.
The friends want to keep as many of Max’s favourite activities alive by encouraging people to run, cycle, walk the dog, throw a rugby ball, bounce a tennis ball or sprint the length of a football pitch or the perimeter of a cricket boundary 28 times.
Dan Griffin said: “As a group we all knew Max from different stages of his life but once we all met, we wanted to come together to turn the negative of us losing Max into something positive.
“It has been nice for us all to have something optimistic to focus on, it has kept us busy and we are determined for the fund to help others with talking openly about mental health.
“Max absolutely loved sport and he was a big believer in using sport for positive change.”
To donate to The Max Hunter Fund, text 28NOTOUT to 70085 to donate £3.
You can register to attend the mental health and sports panel, of which Dan Cole will be part, at: