Football United to hold Spring Ball in aid of Thanet mental health support group

Tickets are selling fast for a Spring Ball which will support Thanet mental health services in memory of three men who took their lives after being unable to get the professional help and support  they needed.

The Football United Committee, which held a fun day and raised a massive £8,600 for mental health support group SpeakUp CIC in August, will host the ball next March.

The event, in memory of Marc Wood, Ben Stone and Paul Connell, will include a three course meal, entertainment and dancing. It will be held at St Augustine’s in Westgate and will be a black tie event.

It will again raise money for SpeakUp CIC.

Events have been organised by parents with youngsters on the Thanet United Warriors team – formerly SMS –  and team manager Craig White, who have all been personally touched by the losses.

Following sustained campaigning from the community Increased budgets and mental health services for Thanet and east Kent were announced at a summit held in Margate in September.

These include plans for a 365 day a year, 24/7 Safe Haven in Thanet and a crisis café in Ramsgate.

Natasha Woolford, who is one of the organisers, said: “Over the last few months we have managed to raise a massive amount of money which will be an integral part of improving mental health services in Thanet. We are so proud of how we have come in just a few short months, even playing a part in the new crisis cafes and wellness centres opening. If this can be done by just a few like minded people who have experienced the devastation that mental health causes, we feel that so much more can be achieved.”

Tickets for the spring ball, which will be held on March 14, are £35 and there are ten seats to a table. Capacity is just 200 so if anyone would like tickets they would need to buy soon to avoid missing out.

If anyone would like to buy tickets or would like more visit the Football United Facebook site and hit the message now button or check out the website www.footballunitedcharityday.co.uk