Thatcham-based charity awarded by the Queen
'Exceptional' Charlie Waller Trust honoured
THE Thatcham-based Charlie Waller Memorial Trust is to receive the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service for its work in raising the profile of mental illness.
The trust was created in memory of 28-year-old Charlie Waller, who committed suicide in 1997 after suffering from depression.
The family of the advertising executive from Fulham set out to increase awareness of, and remove the stigma attached to, mental illness.
The trust, whose headquarters are in Thatcham, delivered 300 talks and training sessions to schools in the UK, reaching more than 21,000 school pupils, parents and teachers last year.
The trust’s chief executive, Clare Stafford, said: “We are delighted and honoured that the work of the trust has been recognised in this way.
“We rely on our loyal and dedicated volunteers in order to continue our work with schools and universities, employers, GPs and other primary care professionals.”
The citation for the award reads: “The Charlie Waller Memorial Trust was formed in 1997 by the father of a young man who committed suicide.
“It is a unique organisation dedicated to raising awareness of depression as an illness, especially in young people.
“The trust, through its volunteers, raises substantial funds to contribute significantly to mitigating the impact of mental illness via early interventions and effective treatments.
“It achieves an exceptional level of success both in practical ways and in fulfilling its aim to break down societal barriers in our understanding of depression.”
As part of the award, Mrs Stafford and Dick Moore from the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust were invited to a garden party at Buckingham Palace on May 19 where they met other winners.
The trust recently received a £175,545 share of £3m of government funding, to help schools in supporting young people with mental health issues.
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK.
The awards were created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and winners are announced each year on June 2 – the anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation.
The trust will receive the award from the Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire later this summer.
