CALM nominated in leading charity awards

MHF partner CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) has been nominated in the Healthcare and medical research of The Charity Awards 2009, the UK charity sector's most prestigious award scheme which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

CALM, which provides emotional support and practical advice to people, mainly young men, at risk of suicide, started life as a regional Department of Health pilot but three years ago, when the government decided to pull the plug on it due to the high cost of providing the service and the difficulty of measuring its impact, the steering group decided to go it alone and launch as a charity. One of its eye-catching posters is pictured right.

Now CALM says it is supported by more than 100 companies including TopMan, and has a funded national office, a team of volunteers and plans for expansion.  From a standing start with no grant for its launch, this year it generated income of £255,000.

Breast cancer for men

Director Jane Powell says: 'Suicide vies with road accidents as the leading cause of death among young men, and CALM aims to reach people at the start of their problems. Young men are much less likely than women or older men to call traditional helplines, and as a pilot CALM had an unchallenged appeal to men, with 67% of all calls from men and 60% from men under 35

'Our aim is to be like breast cancer, only for men, and using music and entertainment rather than fashion as our environment.'