Norwich City and Stephen Fry together send a powerful message in a video leaving fans with goosebumps with some shedding a tear.
The Championship club say they’re proud to use their platform for good to highlight the worrying rates of suicide and to find help if they need assistance.
They used the much-anticipated kit reveal to drive maximum awareness of this campaign and to reach as many of their fans as possible.
Norwich add that “In one year alone, 518 people in East Anglia took their own life and data shows that the average age of our season ticket holders (49) is in the bracket of people most at risk.
“With help from Norfolk and Waveney Mind, the club learned how the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising cost of living are causing more concerns.
“Norfolk and Waveney Mind have been instrumental in helping deliver this campaign. Their work in the local area continues to help so many. The charity offers mental health and wellbeing support to those in need.”
The 2 minute 30 second clip published on the club’s Twitter on Tuesday morning is a must watch and listen.
An important message from @stephenfry…#NCFC pic.twitter.com/Kg4jmC2Q5u
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) June 28, 2022
Sonja Chilvers, chief operating officer at Norfolk and Waveney Mind, said: “Each year the demand for our services increases as more and more people seek support for their mental health. As Norfolk and Waveney’s leading mental health charity, we support thousands of local people every year through our wide range of services and support programmes.
“Our aim is to ensure that no one has to face poor mental health alone and thanks to campaigns like this, we can reach more people, encouraging them to talk about how they feel and come forward and ask for help.
“When you’re managing a mental health problem, or supporting someone who is, having access to the right information and support is vital. From prevention support to crisis support, wherever you are on your mental health journey, we are here for you.”
Holly Leech, senior marketing manager at Norwich City, who helped create and lead on the campaign, said: “This campaign represents something bigger than our kit launch and something bigger than the club.
“Although mental health is now a much more talked about topic, there are still so many who suffer in silence. The aim of this campaign was to guide people on where they can go in times of crisis and show our community how they can help people around them if they need support.
“This is a subject really close to my heart, and with the support of many people at the club, we were able to create something to show how we can help to step up the fight for mental health.”
At the age of 15, Kieran lost his father to suicide. Here’s his story, and how he was helped by @NorwichCityCSF.
For more information on where to find help, visit https://t.co/XCyhl8oUpe.#NCFC pic.twitter.com/wrmywBj9hR
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) June 28, 2022
The club also shared a story written by Kieran Smith, speaking as someone who lost someone they knew to suicide.
THE WRITTEN PIECE:
My name is Kieran Smith. I’m 22 years old and at the age of 15, I was a victim of losing someone to suicide.
Back on March 25, 2015, I lost my dad to suicide. I remember the day like it was yesterday. It doesn’t get any easier as time goes on.
I remember going on a school trip to the castle and then getting pulled out of the classroom to then being confronted by my mum as white as a ghost to tell me that I’ve lost my dad.
At that one moment in my life, my time had changed. I had to go from being a young boy to then becoming the man of the house, which I found extremely hard, but without my friends and my family support network around me, I don’t know where I would be today.
It affected us all in a significant way, so obviously I didn’t know what it was like losing a husband and I didn’t know what it was like losing a son for both my nan and my grandad.
I only knew how it felt losing a father, but with us looking after each other and having a support network around us, we managed to pull each other up from our worst day and then we managed to also cherish all the moments that we had with each other.
The Community Sports Foundation was a massive help from when my father passed away. They gave me loads of different opportunities.
When Norwich reached the play-off final, I had a great opportunity to go to Wembley. Ian Thornton organised all this for me, which was something that I always dreamed of doing, obviously, as a young boy, walking out at Wembley is every boy’s dream. So that day was absolutely amazing.
I managed to go backstage, managed to meet all the players and they signed the match day programme that I still have, a match day shirt as well. I managed to walk out with Russell Martin, who was so comforting when we were in the tunnel, and just to look around me and obviously see all the players and then to walk out to 90,000 fans, the roar was something that puts hairs down the back of my spine to this day as well.
That was a massive moment in my life and that also was something that I know my dad would look down on me and think how proud he was of me and ultimately how proud I was of him as well back in that time.
My friends and my family were a massive part of getting through that difficult stage of my life and even now I’m still trying from day to day to get through it with taking my mind off things, with going to Norwich games and playing football week in, week out on a Saturday for my local team, but without them, I’m unsure to know where I would be today.
I remember when I was nine years old and in the Norwich City 2009/10 season, Paul Lambert had recently taken over as Norwich manager.
I remember sitting at a dinner table one night and my dad saying to me “I feel as though we should get a season ticket. I’ve got a good feeling now that Lambert has taken over.” From that day we didn’t look back. We went and got a season ticket in the Geoffrey Watling Stand.
Me and my dad attended every home game, we went to the occasional away game here and there and then we saw Norwich win back to back promotions to get to the Premier League.
Within that, years of us having the season ticket until unfortunately my dad passed away, that period of time, every Saturday the ritual was me, my dad and my grandad going to Norwich games, seeing Norwich win emphatically at home, seeing us win at Ipswich away.
They were the best memories I had with my father, just watching Norwich play and just coming to Norwich every week was such a great experience and those are memories I will just cherish forever.
If you need urgent help, visit mind.co.uk for emergency advice.
Norwich and Stephen Fry have been praised after taking to send an incredibly powerful message in the video leaving fans with goosebumps…
@land_stuart: 👏👏👏👏 people will be pissed of its not the kits, but this is a far more important message
@MartinJBuck: Anyone really moaning about this, just remember it might not have been for you, right now, but there are ppl who will really kill themselves today so if this helps just 1 to think again, it’s worth ‘wasting’ 2mins on. Some of us can multi tasking too so not even a waste of 2 mins.
@PAULSEL67251141: Well done NCFC, whilst of course disappointed to wait another two days for the kit, as a season ticket holder between 45-49 who has self-doubt and married to someone with health anxiety I think this is a tremendous way to bring attention to these great organisations that can help
@Ashley_Willis30: Ok it’s not the kit launch, but a great message from Ncfc. This is a very important message as it is happening far to often. Fair play Norwich 👍🏻🤜🏻🤛🏻👏👏👏
@_CarlMann: Well played. @NorwichCityFC Stroke of genius for the engagement and message. An important little perspective lesson in there for us all as well. Step in the right direction for me 👌🏻 #ncfc
@davidmitch37: Ipswich fan here. Well done to @NorwichCityFC and @stephenfry this is brilliant and powerful stuff. If you’ve watched this and been annoyed it’s not a kit launch, I’d ask you gently to rethink your priorities.. this could save lives.
@Canarycrazy1: I cant believe the amount of negative comments behind this. As an army veteran with ptsd, mental health is not talked about enough. Well done NCFC
@nath_english: If this 2 minute video helps just one person today, then it’s served a great purpose. This felt more like my club again. 👍🏻🔰⚽️ Those ‘adults’ genuinely angry that they didn’t get a new shirt today need to give their heads a wobble. #MyClub #OTBC
@katycollins: Truly touching & thoughtful video thank you @stephenfry @NorwichCityFC for giving this issue the coverage it needs. The visual of the block of seats in the ground really hit home. #MentalHealthMatters
@olidannatt: Love this from @NorwichCityFC… nothing more important than checking in with your mates, when they don’t seem themselves… #thesmallthings
@KevS1973: As an #itfc fan, I have to say, this was such an important message to send out, and you deserve all the praise in the world for this. Well played. 👏👏👏👏
@Blurboy1980: What is wrong with some of you? This club and @stephenfry are amazing. The kit will be here in 2 days. Reach out to your friends and make sure they’re doing ok. OTBC!!! #ncfc
@Superscoot75: As someone who has struggled with mental health this is a great initiative. For those complaining they got tricked go and support some soulless oil club, it will suit your heartless personality better.
@TotallyTettey: Lovely video this, and very important too. If anyone is pissed off with the kit not being released today, they can fuck off
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