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Billy Dormand from Par says he wanted to give something back to the Trust as a thank you for the care he has received.

The 24-year-old has raised over £20,000 for the Trust and other organisations since 2020.

His passion for fundraising began when he was admitted to the Fletcher Ward at Bodmin Community Hospital over 3 years ago. The ward is an acute psychiatric admissions unit offering assessment and treatment for people aged 18 or older. Billy spent 14 weeks on the ward.

In his first year since leaving hospital, he raised £10,000 for the ward after organising a number of fundraising events.

Billy then went on to raise £3,300 for Man Down, a men’s mental health support group in Cornwall.

He presented this latest cheque to Sowenna in Bodmin after a number of fundraising events. Billy organised a pool competition and an auction at St Blazey Football Club, which raised over £5,000. A donation of £1,500 from Lloyds Bank and an anonymous donation brought the total to £8,000.

Billy said: “When I was in Fletcher Ward for 14 weeks, towards the end of the stay when I was a little bit more mobile. My brain was more active, I just figured I wanted to give something back to Fletcher Ward, which I did.

“I raised £10,000 the first year I came out of hospital. From then on, I have supported local charities. Last year for Man Down I raised £3,300 and this year it was Sowenna. I wanted to support the children as much as the adults.

“I’ve not only given back to Fletcher and Man Down, but also the young children (at Sowenna). My motto is ‘It’s okay not to be okay’. From any age it can affect anybody. People can hide behind a smile and not be okay.

“There has been a lot of hard work. Hopefully, the money which was raised will go towards a silent disco, or some new pool cues, or activity sets.”

“It’s absolutely amazing. He’s really shown such determination. He’s a credit to his family and himself. It’s no mean feat to fundraise in the current climate.

“To raise £8,000 is absolutely amazing. It really will make a huge difference to our young people here.

“We use the funds raised for us for everything, from clothes for the young people. Some unfortunately do not come to us with anything. We will go out and get them clothes if they need them. The things we take for granted, like toothbrushes.

“We also do events for our young people, and we do trips and things which will help them recover and be able to move forward. It’s absolutely vital and we could not move forward without it, so it’s really, really important.” Laura Patrick, Sowenna Business Support Manager

“We’re so grateful to Billy for the money that he has raised for Sowenna. It’s going to make such a difference. For an individual to raise this amount of money is just a phenomenal effort. We cannot thank him enough.

“It’s real, hard work that goes into raising that amount of money. Putting on fundraising events is not an easy task.

“Sowenna has been open for 4 years now, so people need to keep supporting it. We are so grateful to the people that do because the young people have ongoing needs. Some of the equipment we have raised money for needs replacing. There’s a really extensive activity programme to fund as well so we are so grateful to fundraisers like Billy.

“Fundraising for NHS charities is really vital. The NHS would not function as it does without the charities that support them. The hospitals and the community services and mental health services that we deliver. The fundraising makes such a difference because we really do raise money for everything over and above what you’d normally find in a medical environment.

“At Sowenna the charity has all of our amazing fundraisers that’s made it possible to have a café, parental accommodation on site, a sports barn, a gym, a music room, and an extensive activity programme. All of this is funded by the charity. All of this makes a difference to a young person’s wellbeing and recovery.” Stephanie Pomeroy, Fundraising Manager for the Trust.