The idea for Curry & Chaat came after we analysed the success of our flagship community fundraising event, Tea & Talk and noticed that only 10% of our Tea & Talk sign-ups were male. As a mental health charity, we feel it’s vitally important we reach in particular hard-to-reach audiences like men. Particularly as it is well documented that suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 45.
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We know from a survey commissioned by the Mental Health Foundation a year ago involving over 2,500 people who had experienced mental health problems that men are far less likely than women to seek professional support for their mental health. The survey showed that 28% of men had not sought medical help for their mental health problem and only a quarter of men had told a friend or family member what they had been going through. It also showed us that more than a third had waited up to two years or chose never to get help.
What your money can help us achieve
We’re working towards our goal of good mental health for all. We’re dedicated to finding and addressing the sources of mental health problems so people and communities can thrive.
This means applying a specific focus to people who are most at risk. One example of this is our suicide prevention project to address long-standing undiagnosed mental health problems in Irish men in North London, who have been identified as having an elevated risk of suicide. The project will involve running 10 six-week courses for men establishing a programme of self-management and peer support work.
The aim of Curry & Chaat is simple, get together with friends, enjoy a great curry and raise money for the Mental Health Foundation. We know that maintaining positive relationships in our life has a significant benefit to our mental health. It’s also important to make clear that Curry & Chaat is not just for me, we want as many men and women as possible holding a Curry & Chaat, taking positive steps to improve their mental health.
In your Curry & Chaat pack, you’ll find lots of helpful resources to make your event a success, such as posters and placemats, containing lots of mental health-related statistics as well as some great curry recipes on our website.
The Events Team will also always be on hand every step of the way to help make your event a success so please get in touch with us anytime.
I’d also like to say a big thanks to all our Fundraising Interns past and present including Kadie and Heather who played a huge role in the initial idea of Curry & Chaat and particularly Harry who has worked really hard over the past couple of months to get this launched.