In Charley’s Memory (aka ICM) was formed in 2015 following the tragic loss of a much loved local young man to suicide. ICM is a responsive suicide prevention and mental health charity now based in Burnham on Sea, Somerset. We support people aged 11 and over with 1:1 counselling and wellbeing support from our offices and run weekly outreach projects in six schools across the county and run a local youth club. Our key aims as an organisation are improving mental wellbeing and providing the tools to build the resilience and aspirations of the people from our community. We do this by providing a range of accessible and low-cost projects and interventions. Our clients come from across Somerset and the adjoining counties.
Since 2022 ICM has delivered 21,494 unique interventions, with 3,349 direct beneficiaries with 10,047 indirect beneficiaries. 154 volunteers have supported our service, giving 15,760 hours of their specialist time and placements at ICM are highly sought after by qualifying students from across the region. 9 schools have been supported with drop in or counselling services and 5,966 pupils have attended assemblies or workshops. Our clients come from 62 locations across Somerset and the adjoining counties. In 2024 we won 'Somerset Charity of the Year' and in 2025 BBC Radio 'Making a Difference Award'.
This award from The Pixel Fund comes at a very exciting time for us, ICM has recently relocated from a discrete location on an industrial estate in Highbridge to a former newsagent in the centre of the busy Burnham on Sea High Street. At our former base we operated an appointment only provision. At our new base we are additionally expecting to have 'walk ins' requesting support. This is a new provision we are ready to develop. We genuinely do not know what to expect, especially during the seaside towns tourist season when the population doubles. We are preparing to be able to provide immediate support and to put the individual on a pathway to resolution, which could be providing immediate advice, signposting to relevant support agencies or booking in to ICM for assessment for counselling.
Throughout the application process The Pixel Fund has helped us evolve our governance and now with help towards our core costs giving us financial security to forge on with our Mission.