News

Here at the Standing Tall Foundation, we are extremely proud to support not just the wider community, but also veterans with their Mental Health, Addiction, Welfare and Housing needs.

As an organisation, we have always positively promoted and supported Veterans, especially due to Andy’s background and the amount of work he personally does for the veteran community.

We know that veterans are more likely to access the support they need if it is in one place, aligned, within a safe space they recognise, and fundamentally in a friendly and non-clinical environment. Our programme offers a unique offer of holistic support in one place; a one stop shop helping veterans to mental and physical health services, alcohol and substance misuse, wellness coaching, financial budgeting and planning, employment and education support which would otherwise mean engaging with multiple different agencies.

For the last 12 months, we have run a weekly Ex-Services group here at the Foundation from 9am-11am where members from the Armed Forces and Blue Light Services meet for breakfast, brews and banter. Every month, veterans from the group go out on an organised trip and regularly meet up with other veterans from Southport and surrounding areas.

In the last 5 years we have supported over 600 Veterans with their Mental health, Wellbeing and Employment opportunities. 

More recently in October, we were excited to announce we had partnered with Healthier Heroes CIC to open a brand new HMO housing project in St Helens with 4 otherwise homeless veterans, now living there.

The project was only made possible thanks to the collaboration of local businesses such as St Helens Flooring, Lindab and our partner B-Engineering’s dedication to get the house fully converted into an HMO. The initiative transformed the house into a secure and dignified home for those who have served. Each contribution, from energy-efficient heating systems to new en-suite bathrooms, enhances the quality of life for these deserving individuals. Thanks to all the companies that donated their time and resources to get this project over the line.

This development will create much-needed housing for Veterans, ensuring that we can continue our mission of not leaving any Veteran homeless or unsupported on our streets.

Healthier Heroes will provide safe and secure accommodation alongside wraparound support services. The STF will play a vital role in supporting this initiative by delivering Mental health and well-being services, Addiction support and diversionary activities.

Working together will strengthen the support network available to Veterans within the project, complementing the housing solution provided by Healthier Heroes. Together, our goal is clear: to provide sustainable housing and holistic support so that every Veteran has the chance to rebuild, recover, and thrive.

Our Co-Founder Andy Reid said:

“We reached out to our foundation partners for support with the project and the response was amazing. From free materials and labour, expert advice and hard graft the HMO is now finished and we are delighted with the results. We now hand the keys over to Healthier Heroes and let them do what they do best …support our veterans within full wrap around support. Thank you to our partners for making this possible.”

If you are a Veteran and need support – please reach out to us or come to our group on Friday. Everyone is welcome!

We are delighted to have partnered with Chorley Group and Chorley Nissan Wigan who have very kindly supported and provided us with an amazing car to use for Foundation purposes.

This will help us enormously with visiting vulnerable clients, allowing us to support them with their mental health, addiction and welfare needs. We can also use to  transport our veterans on days out and travelling to STF events.

Thanks to Andy Turner MBE and his team, we are truly grateful.

 

We cannot thank everyone enough for their involvement in our Xmas Toy Appeal this year. Friday saw us hold our Wrap and Pack event in the marquee here at the STF Hub at the Living Well Building.  Everyone came in their Xmas jumpers to either wrap presents or deliver sacks of gifts to the schools across our Borough.

The day saw more than 60 volunteers from a wide range of companies including PepsiCo, TRS Training, A+ B Engineering, Cosey Homes, VTA Recruitment, Allisons Financial. Integral Legal, B-Engineering, Carma, St Helens Council and Natwest.  We also had help from friends of the Foundation, family members and our Veterans who helped wrap, pack and deliver over 3000 presents to 1020 children and their families.

These were distributed amongst 40 local schools identified as having pupils with the greatest need as well as homeless families, refuges, those in temporary accommodation and Young Carers, ensuring the most vulnerable children have something to open on Christmas day.

We were overwhelmed with the generosity of people in the town as they donated gifts to Dunelm, Natwest, REDS Cafe, Smyths Toys and Cosey Homes. We also had donations from PepsiCo, TVS Supply Chain, Glassbond, Nine Arches, Helen & Eddie Hoffman, Morson and other kind individuals that brought toys and gifts in.

Thanks to each and every one of you that donated, wrapped, packed, delivered and supported along the way. With your help, these children will now receive a gift this Xmas and you have made a real difference.

Without you, none of this would have been possible!

Here are some of the pictures from the day:

We are ecstatic and extremely proud to announce that the Standing Tall Foundation now has an official Mascot!

Meet our new furry friend “Bastion the Bulldog” who will be representing the Foundation at all our events moving forward.

Back in the summer we launched a mascot competition across all the primary schools in the Borough asking the children to design a mascot based on our Co-Founder Andy’s background and our Foundation values:

• BE KIND
• HELP OTHERS
• HAVE COURAGE
• BE MINDFUL
• BE HONEST

We were amazed by the response and the fantastic designs we received back from the children. So much so, it was virtually impossible for us to choose only one winner! The Mascot was kindly sponsored by our Foundation partner A+B Engineering who came and helped us judge all the entries. In the end, we combined the designs across three schools – Haydock English Martyrs, Rainford C of E and Eccleston Mere Primary.

The dog was named “Bastion” after Andy’s stay in Camp Bastion after he was severely injured whilst on patrol as a soldier in Afghanistan.

And here he is!

They spent 2 days on an intensive training course via LivingWorks about Suicide prevention that trains caregivers to provide suicide first aid, reduce immediate risk and increase support for those at risk.

They were joined by participants different organisations from all over St Helens, including St Helens Wellbeing, YMCA, Fuel and St Helens Ambulance Service to name but a few.

We are overjoyed to announce we will holding our Xmas Toy Appeal again this year.

This month we are ecstatic to announce that local company Glassbond have joined us and will be supporting the Standing Tall Foundation moving forward. We had the pleasure of meeting them all at their offices this week and getting a guided tour of the site and what they do there.

Who are Glassbond? – They’ve been around since 1978 and in 1982 moved to Jackson Street.  They manufacture and supply organic lamp capping cements to the lighting industry, thermosetting moulding compounds for compression moulding applications and high-temperature ceramic adhesives to the automotive, aerospace, aviation, lighting, HEPA filter and other high-temperature applications, for bonding, potting or embedding components and substrates.

Their most notorious claim to fame though is supplying the compound that makes the fantastic Bowling balls we see at Bartons Pickles Celebrity Bowls tournament each year in St Helens!

Michael Cordell, MD had this to say about the news:

It is a privilege for Glassbond (NW) Ltd to partner with the Standing Tall Foundation. The support they provide to veterans and the wider community is invaluable. Having been based in St Helens for over 40 years, with 75% of our workforce living locally, we are immensely proud to contribute to such meaningful work.

We look forward to inviting them to our upcoming partners meetings and other networking events where they can hopefully form some strong business relationships with our other partner organisations.

Their monthly donations will be crucial to the Foundation, allowing us to provide 6 additional support sessions per week for those suffering with Mental Health and Addiction issues.

We are delighted to be working Glassbond moving forward and warmly welcome them onboard!

If you are interested in becoming a partner of the Foundation, please get in touch with our Executive Officer Charlie Eke for more details:

charlie@standingtallfoundation.org.uk

Our annual Standing Tall Foundation Gala Dinner & Awards Night wouldn’t be a success without everyone who attended and the support you show us.

Thanks to our fantastic photographer Dave Heaton and Paparazzi Mirror we managed to capture all of your best bits!

So here are the photos from the night and links to Flickr so you can download:

SELFIE BOOTH

WINNERS PHOTOS

MAIN PHOTOS 

We’d like to say a massive thanks so much to everyone that came to our Gala dinner and Awards night at the fabulous Formby Hall Golf Resort and Spa Hotel on Saturday October 4th.

It was a fantastic night with all our Foundation Partners and Friends which saw over 200 guests come together to celebrate the support they have shown the Foundation and the brilliant things we have been able to achieve, and deliver due to that support.

The event, compered by the hilarious Pete Emmett was a huge success and we raised a substantial amount of money on the night, allowing us to deliver more Mental Health Counselling, Addiction support services and Physical Activity Initiatives here at the Foundation.

A special thanks goes out to all our Entertainers on the night –  Hana Joy for her amazing singing and for keeping us entertained all night and up on the dance floor! And to the hilarious Jamie Sutherland for his comedy set which had the audience in stitches! Finally to Showkings for their  fantastic AV support and set design.

Thanks to our Silent Auction from Colin Beresford and his brilliant team who were instrumental in selling tickets for our Rolex Competition and Hoss or Gloss Game. Also to the Hoffmans and Louis Williams Jewellers for supplying the Rolex and Wayne from Verlingue who managed the logistics of it all!

Finally, a huge thanks to  and all our sponsors on the night – Menzies Distribution, TIP, Muse Developments, New Balance,  Integral Legal Costs, Allisons Financial, A+B Engineering and Emporia Marketing. 

THE WINNERS

Congratulations to all of the winners on the night, spanning across the 8 different categories.

List of categories and winners as follows:

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – Presented by Andy/JT

Winner

MENZIES DISTRIBUTION

TECH/DESIGN AWARD – Sponsored by A+ B ENGINEERING – Sarra Boumellil  

This Award is presented to the company or individual that has offered exceptional technical or design support to the Foundation, to ensure the professional and smooth running of its internal operations.

Winner

JAMIE MOXON – VERSION 1

ARMED FORCES AWARD – Sponsored ALLISONS FINANCIAL – Allie Baglow

This Award is in recognition of the fantastic support a company or individual gives to our Service personnel and veterans.

Winner

VTA RECRUITMENT

SOCIAL IMPACT & COMMUNITY AWARD – Sponsored by INTEGRAL LEGAL – Victoria Morrison-Hughes

This Award recognises the company that has contributed to the development or needs of an individual by helping them and implementing positive change in their lives and the community.

Winner

A+B ENGINEERING

LOCAL SERVICES AWARD – Sponsored by MUSE DEVELOPMENTS – Chris Bishop

This Award celebrates the services offered by local businesses in the Northwest region, and the support they have shown not only the Foundation, but the surrounding community.

Winner 

B-ENGINEERING, CONNOLLY LTD and ST HELENS FLOORING

NEW PARTNER AWARD – Sponsored by TIP – Luc Kergoat

This Award celebrates our newest Foundation Partners and the support they have shown us so far.

Winner

CARMA

STANDING TALL AWARD – Sponsored by NEW BALANCE – Danny Holtby

This Award recognises the outstanding contribution this company or individual has made to the Foundation since it started in 2020.

Winner

ALLISONS FINANCIAL

ANDY REID MBE SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD – Sponsored by MENZIES DISTRIBUTION – Adam Purshall

This Award is in recognition of the support this organisation has provided to the Foundation that has gone above and beyond.

Winner

BATES OFFICE SUPPLIES

Local lady Hayley Kime held an incredible fundraising night on the 13th September to raise funds for the Standing Tall Foundation and Brain Tumour Research. The total amount raised was £2240 which was split equally between the two charities.

At 38 weeks pregnant, Hayley unfortunately suffered a seizure in her sleep and was taken to hospital where she had a further seizure. Scans revealed Hayley had a brain tumour and confirmed it was a large meningioma (benign brain tumour). Hayley then endured an emergency C section under general anaesthetic, all within 12 hours of finding out the diagnosis.

Hayley was referred to the Walton centre and 9 weeks later, had the tumour removed. We are delighted to say it was a successful operation and they removed everything.Hayley now has yearly scans, which will continue for the next ten years.

Hayley began seeing our lead Mental Health Counsellor Phil a few months later, and with his support through the counselling, she was able to get through what she describes as the worst few months of her life ( She also lost her nan, who she was extremely close too around the time she started having counselling sessions).

Hayley continues to attend sessions now, and is thriving. To celebrate her recovery and the support she has received from us, the fundraiser is her way of giving back and raising money for the Standing Tall Foundation.

It was a fantastic night and Hayley and her family now want to make this an annual event!

Massive thanks to everyone who donated and supported us, it really means a lot.

All proceeds from the night will go towards providing help to people like Hayley, and many others in need.