A Big 2024 Thank You from Hector’s House!

2024 has been such an amazing year for Hector’s House! We welcomed so many new volunteers and attended more and more events in the local community. We started new campaigns with friends (such as a Carer Support Group with Carers in Herts, and Ask for Hector with The Akeman in Tring to name just a few!). This has also been our busiest ever year – with a 50% increase in support calls over the summer. We are so grateful that more and more people are reaching out!

In 2024, Hector’s House said hello to Susan (Support and Operations Assistant) and a sad goodbye to Imo (our social media whizz!) and the team will only continue to grow in 2025 with so many exciting projects and events coming up… but for now, here’s each of the HH team saying a BIG thank you to YOU for being here! We so appreciate you all.

Here’s to 2025! And thank you to all for making 2024 such a big year for our small (but mighty) suicide prevention charity. You’re all amazing.

Robert Stringer – Founder and Chair of the Board of Trustees

On behalf of the Trustees and family, I wanted to personally thank each of you, for everything you do for Hector’s House. Some of you may not know the background to how we started, so please indulge me!

The very beginning of Hector’s House was a meeting held at Lou’s house, with Lesley-Anne and some of Hector’s friends and family. Hector’s friends, understandably, wanted to do something practical, after his suicide. Over time, Hector’s House became an entity, firstly as a signposting page, and then a basic website. An amazing group of friends organised the event, Memories, at Pendley, where David and Donna appealed for Hector’s House to become a Charity in its own right. (We had been fundraising for CALM, that event raised £20,000).

The rest as they say is history! It has always been about friends, the support of friends and community. I could not have envisaged how Hector’s House would grow. How many people we have helped. How many people we continue to help. We have an amazing team working for us, without whom, we would not exist.

However, our growing Team of Volunteers is immensely important and increasingly, we couldn’t not do what we do, without you. You are at the forefront of events. Some of you help write things, make things, take on administration tasks and facilitate groups of varying types. The support from each of one you is unquantifiable. Without you, we would not be able to do what we do. We need you. In monetary terms, you save us money. We couldn’t staff events; it wouldn’t work financially.

However, the love you give us, our beneficiaries and community, is what is unquantifiable. Never underestimate how important you are to us. Quite often, you are listening to hard things and there have been many occasions, where we have been able to offer tailored support to people, who have contacted us, because of your conversations. Your smile at events, how you enter into the spirit of what we do is awesome. You get it. We are fortunate to have you. You are giving to your community and enabling people to reach out for support, by being you.

And I want to extend a sincere and heartfelt thank you to each and every person who has reached out to Hector’s House in any capacity. Whether you have attended a men’s or carers support group, had a listening ear session with the Hector’s House team, chatted with a volunteer at an event or have been supported further by our charity. I am personally so grateful to be given the opportunity to listen to you. The fact you’ve reached out has meant YOU have helped to prevent suicide, and that is truly incredible. Our family are so thankful to you, and I hope we can continue to support you in 2025.

Please look after yourselves always and I hope that you have a peaceful Christmas and a Healthy 2025.

Sarah O’Brien – Support and Operations Lead

I don’t even know where to start with this! I joined the Hector’s House community in 2017 when it was just one year old, and I cannot tell you how much it’s grown since then. To watch the charity thrive immeasurably since then has been incredible, and that would never have been possible without the love and kindness from the members of the community like you.

THANK YOU to each and every person who has been in touch with Hector’s House in 2024. Whether you raised vital funds for our life-saving work, volunteered at an event, hosted a fundraiser for us, said hello to us when we were raising awareness, welcomed us to deliver training or workshops, gave up your time for us in any capacity – we are so grateful! It’s been so much fun, and so humbling to see our team of volunteers and supporters grow – you are some of the loveliest people I know. 

I also wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been brave enough to reach out for support from Hector’s House. We really mean it when we say we are in awe of you guys. It’s such an honour to be trusted to hear you, support you and be with you in those dark moments. We aren’t going anywhere, we are always behind you and rooting for you at team HH! Please always reach out when you need us. We will continue to hold a light of hope for each of you in 2025. You have no idea how much you mean to us. 

It’s been a very busy year for the charity, so thank you to everyone who has been patient with us! We are only be a team of 7 (including volunteers Robert and Belinda), but the hard work behind the scenes from my incredible colleagues is something I am so proud of. Working at Hector’s House hasn’t just been the highlight of my career, it’s been a life-changing experience that has made me a better, more compassionate and hopeful person. I’m so grateful to everyone who I’ve worked with in 2024 – the wonderful HH team, our trusted counsellors, Bucks and Herts County Councils and our suicide prevention action groups, Carers in Herts, RSASS, Compassionate Herts, all the schools and businesses that are too many in number to name… Thank you for bringing your passionate and fun for making our communities better, brighter and safer from suicide.  

I also have to mention our Head of Wellbeing Rupert, who has been a star this year coming with me to all sorts of events! He wants to share his woofs of thanks to you all for the treats and cuddles. He is hoping for many more next year!

Lastly, thank you to Robert and Belinda Stringer for their unwavering love, trust, kindness and friendship. I am so grateful for every time I’ve called you in a tizz, for ensuring we are always doing the best we can for the people in our care, and for giving me the confidence to be the best version of myself. If you’d told me in 2020 I’d be delivering training and school talks, supporting people at crisis, delivering projects for local county councils and managing the team in 2024 I’d have laughed you out of the room! That’s all down to the nurturing I’ve gotten from two of the most hilarious, compassionate and brilliant people steering the Hector’s House ship. You are both incredible – and never forget it!

Nollaig Shona Daoibh to everyone – I hope 2025 is everything you need it to be 🙂

Karyn Taylor – Fundraising Officer

This year, I’ve been deeply moved by the love, care, and support pouring in from local people, groups, and businesses. Being a fundraising officer isn’t easy—especially when so many amazing charities are competing for the same pots of money from trusts and foundations. But thanks to the incredible generosity and passion of our communities, we’ve been able to keep our education, awareness, and support services going strong. It’s because of you—those who truly care about suicide prevention and mental health—that we’re able to make a real difference for so many. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for being so kind. 

2024 has been a truly impactful year for Hector’s House, with so many opportunities to connect with people through our awareness and fundraising stands at various events. None of this would have been possible without our incredible family of volunteers, who’ve stood with us—sometimes in the sunshine but more often braving the wind and rain—dedicated to spreading the word about what we do and encouraging those who are struggling to reach out. They have compassionately listened to those who have opened their hearts, guiding them toward seeking support through Hector’s House.  A heartfelt thank you also goes out to our fantastic volunteers working behind the scenes on newsletters, written content, and finance. Your dedication has helped us grow as a charity and made a truly significant difference in everything we do. THANK YOU to all our volunteers that have dedicated their time, energy and care, we are so grateful to you 💚

This year, we’ve saved lives. I say that with absolute certainty because I’ve seen the difference Rob, Sarah, and Susan have made for people in the depths of despair. Their unwavering compassion and hard work change lives every day, and it inspires me to keep pushing to raise the funds we need. No one should ever feel alone or silenced by their pain. Together, we can continue making sure they don’t.

Declan O’Hara – Events and Campaigns Assistant

I’d like to extend a specific and extra-large thank you to Grant for his unwavering dedication to volunteering with us. Grant initially joined us as a facilitator when we began HecTalk. This is not a small commitment. Every first and third Wednesday of the month (except for the occasional interruption due to sickness or a holiday) he has made the time to be there. Being in these groups is much more than just showing up. It requires being 100% present, 100% of the time. With compassion and genuine care, I’ve seen him help people talk through all manner of complex situations. Sometimes having to ask hard questions, in a soft a gentle way to ensure that whatever thoughts need to be expressed, are expressed eloquently and understood by everyone present. This allows the person speaking to truly be heard, often for the first time in their life. His commitment to Hector’s House, and the people we support, has since grown significantly. There is external HecTalk work that is now required which he meets with enthusiasm and has even volunteered for us in other capacities.  

I’d also like to extend an enormous thank you to Jake Gower. I’ve actually known Jake for longer than I can remember. In some capacity or another, he has been a constant presence in my life albeit with lengthy absences. Jake has an amazing story of his own, and it is not my place to tell it, but due to various circumstances he asked myself and Rob if Hector’s House could be involved in a men’s wellness retreat, he was planning at the end of the summer. We were very excited about the entire thing. It’s a perfect union of so much of what we’re about, AND it was being helmed by somebody we both have a lot of love and respect for. Jake organised the bulk of the weekend, and for the most we were just along for the ride. Activities, an open fire, excellent food, yoga in the sunrise, conversations under the stars, laughs, tears, hugs, long walks and many grounding moments were had. To be involved in such things feels like a privilege. It makes me feel grateful, and not just for my job, nor the people I know, but for being here. Alive. Now.  

Imo Davies – Social Media Assistant

I would like to send a HUGE bundle of gratitude to every single person who has supported Hector’s House in 2024 – specifically everyone who has supported us on social media! We have frequently had feedback about how much our Instagram has helped people and on some occasions that our content has actually saved a life.

I feel so blessed that I have been able to contribute to helping those individuals but also so grateful to everyone who follows us and shares our posts to help the content reach the people who need it most! We really couldn’t do this job without our wonderful supporters and you should all be so proud that you have contributed to helping people that need our services!

Susan Davie – Support and Operations Assistant

As the newest team member of Hector’s House, I have been truly humbled, inspired and continually awestruck on a daily basis, by the really incredible support that this charity receives from all its dedicated supporters, volunteers, and followers. We are grateful beyond words for the fantastic enthusiasm, energy and hours given by those special people in our local community who knew Hector or have joined the Hector’s House family more recently.

Also a huge thank you to  the many organisations who we work with, and who are supporting us in our drive to prevent suicide by raising awareness and providing the means in which we can offer support to those who are struggling with their mental health. Every penny donated goes towards saving a life.

We believe that there is always hope, and celebrating life and what brings us joy is a very important message in dark times. You are all wonderful and selfless, and make this world a better place! THANK YOU!! 💚

Thank you again to you all! Remember, you can donate here to help us make 2025 our biggest brightest year yet! We so appreciate your support. You can also join our volunteering family by getting in touch with Karyn!

The HH team are taking a little Christmas break from Dec 24 – Jan 2 to recharge our own batteries, ready to support even more amazing people in 2025! You can find 24/7 helplines on our Christmas Care Plan here. And remember – you matter greatly.