When you are going through a difficult time it is important to feel supported by those around you, whether that be your family, colleagues or health professionals. Trust is another essential part in helping those suffering from mental health problems to overcome these issues and ensure they can focus on a brighter future ahead.

Electrical Industries Charity (EIC) helps people deal with a range of mental health problems, as well as supporting family members of the person concerned. The Charity can support those in the electrical industry in numerous ways, such as offering counselling and financial grants to legal help and free and confidential advice. They are able to do this through their number one fundraising stream powerLottery.

For just £1 a month, you can play powerLottery and win up to 40 cash prizes per month. What’s more, you have the chance to win a bumper £10,000 cash prize twice a year in the new Mega Draw. It’s really simple to play, all you need to do is download the EIC powerLottery App and voila! By taking part you are safe in the knowledge that your £1 (or additional entries) go towards changing lives for the better.

The Charity has supported many people suffering with mental health issues and their family network through funds raised by powerLottery. One example is Emma whose husband Matthew completed suicide. Matthew was 33 and they had two young children, Billy who is severely disabled and Riley only six months old.

Matthew had suffered with mental health issues since the age of 13 and was under the care of his local Crisis Management Team. Matthew’s father had taken his own life when he was 33 and his support team were worried that he might contemplate doing the same. Sadly, in March 2018, Matthew completed suicide by taking an overdose of tablets and alcohol on the anniversary of his father’s passing.

Emma was distraught after suddenly losing her husband. Caring for her two sons with complex needs while managing her grief soon became an impossible task. With Billy’s disabilities, it would take her two hours at a time to feed him and she would need to turn him over three times a night. Without any extra help, Emma was struggling. She contacted Social Services and they took Billy into temporary foster care.

Financial matters were also of high concern for Emma and she was very upset as she could not afford to pay for Matthew’s funeral. It was at this point that the Hereford branch of CEF contacted the Charity. They had been a client of Matthew’s and over the years built up a close relationship - they too were grieving.

EIC got in touch with Emma to help her through an extremely traumatic time. They covered the funeral expenses and purchased a new heating system after hers had recently broke down leaving the family home with no hot water or heating.

The Charity also provided legal support for the inquest surrounding Matthew’s passing which remains ongoing. Meanwhile, EIC and CEF have worked together with the intention to supply disability adaptions to Emma’s home. Unfortunately, they are unable to obtain funding for this until Billy returns home – however, Billy is not allowed to come home until the house is fit for him to do so. It is a highly delicate dilemma for all involved.

All of this combined with losing Matthew has put an enormous strain on Emma emotionally. Not only that but she has felt extremely let down by the support that Matthew received from his mental health team. This has left her feeling unsure of who she can trust. Six months on from Matthew’s passing, Emma is now feeling ready for bereavement counselling offered by the Charity. EIC has also supported Matthew’s grandparents with therapy.

If you would like to make life that little bit more bearable for families enduring challenging and sad times, why not download the powerLottery App today?

If you or someone you know has been having trouble dealing with Suicide or mental health issues, and requires support, please contact the EIC support team: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
or 0800 652 1618.

For further information, please contact our fundraising team: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.