West Ham United is proud to highlight the Club’s partnership with R;pple Suicide Prevention on World Suicide Prevention Day, which is marked this year on 10 September 2024.
Lifelong Hammers fan Alice Hendy MBE set up R;pple Suicide Prevention after losing her only sibling, Josh, in November 2020 to suicide at just 21 years of age. Josh had been researching techniques to take his own life via harmful internet searches.
In an attempt to stop this tragedy from impacting other families, Alice created the charity R;pple in Josh’s memory.
R;pple is a tool available to download as a browser extension or be put onto WiFi networks that intervenes in online searches that relate to self-harm and suicide.
It instead guides the user through a series of breathing activities, then signposts them to free, 24/7 helplines and mental health resources for support.
Since launching R;pple, it is now being used by almost two million people on a weekly basis, has intercepted over 50,000 harmful searches, and saved countless lives from suicide.
R;pple has been implemented across West Ham United since October 2021, when they became the first professional football club to do so.
“I, along with my brother, Josh, are fanatical West Ham fans,” said Alice. “I have so many memories of attending games with Josh, both at Upton Park and London Stadium. In November 2020, my brother took his own life, and my world was turned upside down.
“Since losing Josh, football has often kept me going, and watching the games on the television or attending a match in person has given me something to look forward to in some very dark days and weeks.
“As a result of the ongoing partnership between R;pple and West Ham United, we continue to encourage fans to open up about their mental health. Most importantly, we’ve now been approached by several West Ham fans asking for support and guidance following a moment of crisis and can attribute two lives saved from suicide as a result of the Club’s support of our work.
“This is far more than a ‘partnership’ for us, it’s an affiliation that is saving lives, and we couldn’t be more grateful.”
As part of R;pple’s partnership with the Club, the charity has:
- Delivered workshops to academy scholars about the importance of looking after your mental wellbeing.
- Deployed R;pple across key sites at the Club to safeguard staff and players from harmful online content.
- Hosted a football tournament attended by over 200 people at Rush Green, and raising over £24,000 for R;pple and the West Ham United Foundation.
- Created an award-winning film which took home Bronze at the 2023 Charity Film Awards ceremony in Leicester Square.
- Delivered a talk on the pitch at London Stadium to explain R;pple to the fan base.
- Appeared alongside Carlton Cole, Anton Ferdinand and Mark Wright for ITV’s Half Time Team Talk.
R;pple is provided free of charge to charities, educational organisations, and individuals. A subscription model is available to businesses and public-sector organisations.
More information can be found at ripplesuicideprevention.com.
For more information on World Suicide Prevention Day, please click here.
