His Royal Highness, The Duke of Cambridge opens James’ Place London

Yesterday we were delighted to welcome His Royal Highness, The Duke of Cambridge to open our permanent London centre and celebrate the next stage in our journey to deliver a national service for men in suicidal crisis.

We were honoured to introduce His Royal Highness to our Trustees, clinicians and staff and, of course, to some of the men we’ve helped so far. We were particularly pleased to introduce Derek, his wife Sarah, and Jane Boland, our Clinical Lead and Head of James’ Place Liverpool.

Derek, a 52 year-old construction worker, referred himself to James’ Place after struggling to talk to his family, friends or his employer about his suicidal crisis. The support he received was, as he describes, key to his recovery: “When that door opened, the sense of relief was just overwhelming,” he said. “You’re able to open up to things you’ve hidden for years and you’ve never told anyone, not even your family.”

Derek and Jane showed The Duke of Cambridge how we use ‘Lay your cards on the table’ to help men explore what they’re thinking, feeling and doing. As he unveiled a plaque, His Royal Highness noted our life-saving work, saying:

“The one takeaway for me is the idea that there is a solution … I think men sometimes get so lost in the detail, they forget the bigger picture and being able to have that bit of support that can move them forward and there is hope and a brighter future.

“I think you’re going to give a lot of men the support they need and the brighter future.”
Our new location in the heart of the City will offer 450 men a year the chance to access the free support they need when they need it most. Our work is made possible by generous donations from individuals and organisations. Building on our success in Liverpool and London, we know how crucial it is for more men across the country to be able to reach a James’ Place.

That is why we are embarking on a new £10m appeal to enable us to open three further centres by 2025. Please click here to donate to James’ Place. If you would like to discuss making a significant gift directly to the appeal, please contact amy.swart@jamesplace.org.uk.

Thank you so much for your support in reaching this significant milestone.

Ellen O’Donoghue
CEO, James’ Place Charity