West Cumbria students’ tin pot challenge seeks to raise funds for people bereaved by suicide

A group of ten entrepreneurial students at Gen2 in Workington are rising to the challenge of up-cycling old tin cans into saleable items made for everyday use. When the group of Business Administration apprentices had the idea of turning an old tin of baked beans into desk tidies, their creative juices started flowing and a business case was generated.

The team will compete against others in the National Apprenticeship Week Entrepreneurial Challenge and each team has selected a charity to which to donate the proceeds of their sales. The tin pot challengers were keen to support Cumbrian charity, Suicide Bereavement Support (SBS) (charity no. 1184889).

Team member, Anya Marshall, said, “We’ve got a target of £1,000 and, whether or not we raise that amount, we are keen to raise as much money as we possibly can for a charity that was meaningful for us personally. After suicide, people often forget the loved ones who are left behind and a trauma such as suicide can stay with you forever. SBS works to reduce the impact for such people, which can be life changing.”

SBS offers four self-help support groups across Cumbria, where those left behind by suicide can meet with other people in a similar position.  They provide an opportunity to listen, to share, to gain understanding and to connect with others. A helpline service and private forum is also available and is run by volunteers who have been personally affected by suicide.

If you would like to support the tin pot challengers, you can donate online by clicking here before the National Apprenticeship Week Entrepreneurial Challenge judging event on Friday 7 February.

Support for people touched by suicide

If you are struggling with the death of someone who has taken their own life and need someone to listen to your experience and offer you support, please do get in touch. You can call the SBS helpline on 07572 975 721 (John) or 07896 703 757 (Karan). You can also email us at hello@sbs.org.uk , or you can visit us on Facebook  and Twitter at @CumbriaSBS.