Rose Paterson Trust to donate £130,000 to seven charities including one in Shropshire

Rose, the wife of former North Shropshire MP, Owen Paterson, took her life in June 2020 aged 63.

The charities, which include Shropshire Mental Health Support, all work to reduce suicide in their communities. They are spread across the UK from Scotland to Southampton.

The trust says suicide in the UK has been described as an epidemic and each life lost is an often preventable tragedy.

In 2020, 5,224 people took their own lives with many more not succeeding.

Founded in June 2020 the charity was born out of the pride Rose’s family have in her and the depth of their despair at facing life without her.

Speaking on behalf of the Trust, Mr Paterson said: “When we set up the trust, we said that if we could stop just one family from going through what we have been through, this will have been worth it. I am very grateful to everyone who has supported the trust, in distributing these grants to these superb charities, I believe many families will be spared the pain we experienced.

"We have put these charities through a rigorous due-diligence process to fully understand the impact they are having on the people they serve. I have been incredibly impressed by the innovation and hard work of these charities. The work they do is vital in supporting people who feel life is no longer worth living.

"Through their work, these charities save lives. The Rose Paterson Trust is proud to support them.”

Shropshire Mental Health Support offers direct support to people in crisis, suicide prevention, outreach and advocacy, support for families of those suffering from poor mental health.

Its chair, Clive Ireland, said: "The support of The Rose Paterson Trust really empowers us to push forward our plans for a Mental Health Vehicle, to reach those even in the remotest areas of the county, and give them hope.”

Other charities to benefit include the Creative Options Community Project, the If U Care Share Foundation, Kintsugi Hope, Pillar Kincardine, R;pple suicide prevention and The Listening Place.

Rose Paterson served as chairman of Aintree racecourse. This year will see the ‘Rose Paterson Community Sportswoman Award’ presented for first time at the event. The award’s aim is to recognise on an annual basis a girl or woman from Merseyside who is making a difference to grassroots community sport, either through participation or support.

A special garden is also being created at Aintree in Rose’s name, which will be formally opened at the 2023 National.

The Rose Paterson Trust says every four minutes someone in the UK tries to take their own life; every 90 minutes someone in the UK succeeds.

On average, more than young people take their lives every day. However suicide is preventable and nine out 10 people who attempt suicide but survive will not die from suicide in the future.

More information is available online at rosepatersontrust.com while people can donate via justgiving.com/rosepatersontrust.