FOCUSING ON...
Owen the Estafette is a van on a mission
Charity HEROES
CHARITY HEROES SUPPORTED BY
According to the suicide prevention charity CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably), this time of year is the hardest for a lot of us, especially those with financial worries, family problems or physical ailments, which can be exacerbated when the nights draw in, and the desire to hunker down and hibernate is offset by the need to earn a living and pay the bills.
In the UK, suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 40 – but CALM reports an increase in the number of men in their forties who are contacting their helplines. That's sad, of course – but if there is a positive, it's that it shows that older guys are perhaps less worried about admitting they’re not okay.
As a 40-something myself, I can understand this: never have I felt under so much pressure.
Supporting a family, maintaining an income and facing up to the fact I’m not as agile or energetic as I once was is difficult. I’ don't strive to be better or richer than anyone else, but I do see being comfortable and being able to love and be loved as the pillars of happiness. I also know too many people who may seem fine on the face of it, but who struggle with some of the above.
So please, if you’ve just read this, drop a message to someone you know who has had a tough time and check in to make sure they’re okay. It’s the little things that mean so much, and that’s why I make no apology for not referencing cars in this column at all.
CALM saved the life of a friend: that makes its worth priceless. So, if you feel you need a lift, go to thecalmzone.net. Please – just do it. Don’t even stop to think about it.
If you, your car club or your friends have anything planned to raise money for charity, we absolutely want to hear about it and talk about it in these pages. Please just drop us a quick line at practicalclassics@bauermedia.co.uk and we’ll help you in any way we can.
Get Owen going!’ so began the mission of the First Step Trust to recommission and ultimately restore a 1969 Renault Estafette panel van, acquired in 2015 by the charity to further its vision of providing opportunities for people excluded from working life because of mental health conditions, learning disabilities, drugs, alcohol and other disadvantages.
The First Step Trust runs social enterprises, offering work experience, on-the-job training and salaried employment to some of the most vulnerable and socially excluded members of our community – 95 per cent of who
