Over £1 million pledged to new Fund to transform children’s mental health support in Devon schools

A new Fund, launched in memory of Juliet Garmoyle, aims to transform children’s mental health support in Devon and the South West of England. The Fund will enable Place2Be to extend its vital school-based support into the South West of England for the first time.

The Juliet Garmoyle Fund was launched in March at her memorial service held at Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Square, attended by over 600 people. Hugh, Juliet’s husband, has already pledged £1 million to help establish the fund. An additional 136 donors have already increased the total donated and pledged to The Juliet Garmoyle Fund over £1.25m. The goal is to increase the size of the Juliet Garmoyle Fund substantially over the coming months and years. The fund plans to attract support from individuals and organisations based on or interested in the South West of England.

Place2Be currently provides embedded mental health services in 450 UK schools. The charity has over 25 years experience working with pupils, families and school staff. The Juliet Garmoyle Fund will initially focus on providing support in schools on the North Devon coast, with a view to expanding to reach more schools across the region over time.

In 2019, 46% of the 20,000 children and young people in need of mental health treatment in Devon had to wait more than 12 weeks to receive help. The uncertainty and disruption caused by the pandemic over the past two years has placed additional stress and anxiety on young people and referrals for specialist NHS support have reached record highs. There's never been a more important time to ensure that children get the help they desperately need.

Place2Be’s one-to-one therapeutic support is proven to help children and young people to achieve their potential academically, socially and emotionally. This additional funding will also enable school staff to access online training to help their understanding of children’s mental health. The fund will create a sustainable model which will have a lasting impact on whole communities in the South West.

Schools in Devon can register their interest in Place2Be’s mental health services by emailing schools@place2be.org.uk.

For those interested in supporting the fund, please get in touch with philanthropy@place2be.org.uk, or visit www.julietgarmoylefund.org.uk.