We’re proud to support Papyrus in preventing young suicide

When our client James Parkes approached us about sponsoring him in the London Marathon, we didn’t hesitate.

That’s because James was raising funds for his employer, Papyrus, which focuses on suicide prevention in young people. Suicide is the biggest killer of under 35s in the UK.

Papyrus was founded 27 years ago after the founding parents lost their children, aged between 13 and 34. Today, peer pressure and social media affect our children in extraordinary ways making Papyrus’ services needed now more than ever.

James has worked in youth work and child safeguarding, and dealing with children who have sadly died. His work here was his first exposure to teen suicide.

Hutchinson & Buchanan Partner, Richard Storey (left) presenting a £300.00 cheque to James Parkes (right).

James has a strong community focus history

A grieving mum introduced James to Papyrus. He followed the organisation closely and 19 months ago joined them as Area Manager covering coast to coast from Birmingham to Scotland.

James works with teams doing suicide prevention training, raising awareness, and having conversations with people to reduce the stigma that exists in society around mental health in general and suicide in the under 35s. The London Marathon was a great opportunity for James to gain some exposure and sponsorship funds for Papyrus.

“I’ve been entering the London Marathon for years. It’s a ballot and you’re either lucky or not. I got my ballot through my Ripon Runners membership who receive 2 ballot places each year. A record-breaking 500,000 runners applied for a spot via the lottery.

“Once accepted, I decided to use this opportunity to continue to raise awareness for Papyrus. My dad has previously worked for Hutchinson and Buchanan (or Hutch & Buch as they’re often called), as well as the Storeys for a long time, and decorated their offices for many years. I belong to Ripon Runners as does one of the team at Hutch & Buch and I have also completed conveyancing work through the firm. Given they too are community minded, it was a no-brainer to ask them to support my cause,” says James.

James successfully completed the 2024 London Marathon on 21 April with 50,000 other runners.

“We’re proud of James for completing the London Marathon, and for his important work with Papyrus,” says Richard Storey, partner at Hutchinson and Buchanan.

Learn more about Papyrus, and perhaps consider donating to this great cause here: https://www.papyrus-uk.org/

Address

77 North Street
Ripon
North Yorkshire HG4 1DP

Email

mail@hb-law.co.uk

Phone

01765 602156

Fax

01765 690018