A Wiltshire charity that offers free and confidential online support to military personnel is to benefit from a cash boost gifted by one regional builder.
Stand Down has received £1,000 from Persimmon Homes Wessex to continue providing its counselling service to active duty personnel and their families, as well as veterans, who suffer from any mental health condition, directly or indirectly, as a result of military combat.
The donation comes as part of the builder’s Community Champions scheme, which will see a pot of £24,000 given out to local good causes over the next 12 months throughout the region.
Groups will be chosen every month to receive a match-funding donation with local community groups being encouraged to apply by completing an online form at www.persimmonhomes.com/charity.
Founder and CEO of Stand Down, Kyna Jeng, believes that the charity fills a gap in the provision of immediate and accessible support services to armed forces, and any of their dependants, experiencing mental trauma.
“We are delighted that Persimmon Homes Wessex has chosen to support us,” said Kyna.
“The £1,000 will hugely help us encourage those who are reluctant or unable to access therapy easily to seek help from our qualified, regulated and highly experienced mental health practitioners.
“This donation will be used to further our work and help us reach more people who could benefit from our service. We are hugely grateful to Persimmon for this generous donation.”
Pauline Fletcher, sales and marketing director for Persimmon Homes Wessex, said the community initiative was a way of supporting people across every city, town and village where the company works.
She said: “There is real evidence that there is a need for a charity just like this. As a result, we are only too pleased to offer this funding to Stand Down, which we are confident will make a huge difference.”
“We now want to hear from more groups and charities as look to allocate more funding over the next month. All we ask is that the group or charity has already worked hard to raise money themselves, and we will then match this effort with funding of up to £1,000.”
Stand Down was founded by Kyna Jeng following the young death of her brother Anthony (Tony) Jeng, a Royal Engineer, who suffered from debilitating mental trauma as a result of military combat.
The national launch of the charity took place at the House of Lords earlier this year and was preceded by a skydive on Saturday 30 January at military airbase Netheravon Airfield in Wiltshire. Kyna Jeng’s daughter, Paris Nevin, was joined by famous B*Witched pop star, Keavy Lynch, who is the official patron of Stand Down and a qualified Humanistic Counsellor.