The voice of business in the Tees region | 19
Change - Mother-of-three Catherine
was determined to help children
through her charity project.
mum ‘I just don’t want to carry on’. Just
for a second, I didn’t want to be here,”
Catherine admits.
“That’s when I decided to get some
support and slowly, slowly things started to
change. I’ve learnt how to move forward.
I can now take enjoyment from the little
things. Grief is a strange thing, it never goes
away, it can be all-consuming. But I know
I can get through because of the person
Russ was too.”
The idea for the Headlight Project came
from Catherine. She comes from a family
of educationalists – her mum was a deputy
headteacher and her sister is a headteacher
– and she has worked with schools. There
was a gap for the kinds of things it offers
to children and she knew it would prove a
valuable tool.
It came together organically, she says,
like the name and the logo, which was
designed with love and care by the three
Devereux girls in memory of their dad. A
dedicated team of specialists was formed
and a pilot project was carried out in
schools.
“I didn’t have a vision but knew I wanted
to help children, teaching them how to
cope with mental health issues. The team
developed workshops around the themes of
friendship, loss, anxiety, confidence, anger
and separation, and we did a pilot working
with children in schools, which was so well
received. It took off from there and schools
were keen to carry on.
“The issue then became about how
to fund it. I always knew I wanted to do
something around the issue of suicide
because of what happened to Russ, to
provide better help. I’m now developing
a property to offer training in the mental
health sector for businesses and the hope
is that this will then help provide a funding
stream to support the project’s work in
schools.
“Russ died in May last year and just
after Christmas was the last time I had
counselling – from then the work I’ve done
since has been on a professional basis.
“I have been blown away by the support
we have received, particularly from the
business community on Teesside, many
of whom knew Russ, and it does give me
strength. I know I’m so lucky to have had
that support network around me.
“At home, as a family, we talk about
him all the time. He is very much a part of
our lives and always will be. The girls are a
testament to how we wanted to bring them
up.
“The Headlight Project is about going
forward, for everyone. It came together so
organically and then the name – and the
headlights logo – shining a way through.
“I struggled with seeing the Devereux
trucks at first, but I am so proud of being a
Devereux and that’s because of Russ.”
Warning signs:
T
he reasons people take their
own lives are often very
complex but their words and
actions might provide clues they
are not okay or might be at risk of
harming themselves.
They may threaten to hurt
themselves or take their own life, talk
about death or write about it, start
actively looking for ways to end their
life – stockpiling tablets, for example.
Other signs someone might not
be okay include feeling restless or
agitated, tearful, they might not want
to talk to people or be with them or
do things they usually enjoy.
They might find it hard to cope with
everyday things or become distant or
talk about feeling trapped.
They might also start to use drink
or drugs to help them cope with their
feelings.
Warnings signs might not always
be easy to spot and may not be easily
visible in everyone – people show
their emotions very differently.
Where to get help if you’re feeling depressed or suicidal:
The NHS website has some useful guidance at nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/
urgent-support/
If you are feeling down, it says, talk to someone you trust, they might be able to offer
support and keep you safe.
There are helplines you can contact too.
Samaritans – for everyone. Call 116 123, 24 hours a day, seven days a week
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) – for men. Call 0800 58 58 58 – 5pm to
midnight every day.
Papyrus – for people under 35. Call 0800 068 41 41 – Monday to Friday 10am to
10pm, weekends 2pm to 10pm, bank holidays 2pm to 5pm.
The Headlight Project: The project offers a range of services for all ages. You can reach
the team via email at [email protected], maxine@headlightproject.
org.uk, [email protected], [email protected]