A mother from Ashton-under-Lyne who created a mental health charity in her son’s memory, has received Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s daily Points of Light award.

The Anthony Seddon fund was set up in 2014 after Anthony died by suicide in 2013 at the age of 30. Just over a year after Anthony died, his mother, Donna Thomas wanted to set up a charity to help those going through similar situations and raise awareness of mental health issues. The ‘Anthony Seddon Fund’ with the aim of offering peer support groups, including a suicide bereavement group, a hearing voices group and a Men’s support group, and signposting people from across Tameside to further support services. Through the charity, Donna has set up ‘The Anthony Seddon Centre’, a mental wellbeing centre which sees over 200 people of all ages a week on a range of mental health issues and offers volunteering opportunities to people living with long-term mental health conditions.

Due to the fantastic work the charity does, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has awarded them the Points OF Light Award which is only given to a select number of places for their charitable work. 

MP Angela Rayner who presented the charity with the certificate, commented on the award saying, “I am incredibly proud of Donna, who set up the ‘Anthony Seddon Fund’ charity with her husband Brian in 2014 following the death of their son with the aim of supporting those with mental health issues across Tameside.

“Anthony sadly struggled with bipolar disorder from the age of 18 and was constantly in and out of hospital. The debilitating effects of the strong medications he was on eventually took their toll and Anthony died by suicide on 31st March 2013. He was just 30 years old.

 'The Anthony Seddon Fund’ strives to improve the quality of life of those affected by mental health issues, their families, friends and carers in Tameside by promoting their physical and mental health through support, education, practical advice and signposting to other local services.”

She added, “In my role as MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, I have visited the charity many times and seen first-hand the extremely valuable work they do to help people at their time of need.

 “I am in awe of the way Donna turned her private heartbreak into something so positive in her bid to make sure others going through similar experiences would be able to find vital help and support.

“She is an extremely deserving recipient of the Points OF Light Award and she makes me so proud to represent her as her MP.”

 Donna is the 2095th recipient of the Points of Light award, which was first launched in April 2014 to recognise outstanding individuals making a positive change within their community and inspiring others. Each weekday, someone, somewhere in the country is selected to receive the award to celebrate their remarkable achievements.

When commenting on the achievement, Donna said “I'm extremely proud to be the recipient of the Points Of Light award. To be recognised for all the hard work and mental health support we offer at ‘The Anthony Seddon Fund’ means a lot. I must also say thank you to all the other volunteers and staff that support me and enable us to keep supporting people with mental health issues.”