Alan Stuart

In January 2021 – Alan lost his son Cal (23yrs old) to suicide. As a very close and tight-knit family – the loss of Cal left them devastated. In his own words, Alan notes: ‘Cal is my best friend, he is my hero – he is also my son’. Soon after Cal’s passing he and his family launched The Calzy Foundation as a C.I.C, with three key aims: to campaign for the UK Govt to establish a distinct three-digit Mental Health Emergency helpline, to promote the annual global  #1K1CALL campaign – encouraging people around the world to undertake a physical activity for 1km, and to de-stigmatise the public discussion and dialogue around mental health and suicide through ‘The Calzy Foundation Youth Board’

The Calzy Foundation have since consulted widely with MP’s, suicide prevention agencies and support resources and the USA Federal agencies responsible for establishing 988 as the national mental health emergency helpline in USA and Canada. In October 2023, they handed 200,000 signatures in support of their campaign for a new and distinct mental health emergency helpline into Downing Street and continue to challenge the decision to launch NHS111-2 as the emergency helpline.

He is a regular keynote speaker at suicide prevention conferences and is experienced in working with the media on this sensitive subject having contributed articles and opinion content into national press and radio. Alan notes that he appears drawn to many things that start with the letter ‘m’. Music. Martial Arts. Motorbikes. Mindfulness. Meditation. Mental well-being. Messin’ about in the kitchen…..

‘There is much to do and progress regarding how we open and support conversations between us as a society with respect to mental health and suicide. The Sounddelivery Media programme provides the foundation to catalyse this and to ‘unmute’ where there is unease and discomfort around acknowledging and addressing the biggest cause of death in males under the age of 45.’