Solent Mind has recently received an incredible donation of £10,000 from the Know Thyself Charitable Trust.

Created by Daphne Vaughan, from Winchester, after her son’s death in 2019, the trust has since donated thousands of pounds to mental health charities. Having already supported Solent Mind with donations over the last five years, Daphne has now handed over a cheque for £10,000.

With Know Thyself’s financial support, Solent Mind has already been working with men in the construction industry to help break down the stigma and offer mental health first aid training. The charity has also reached out to schools to open discussions about emotions in a healthy way.

This time, the funds will support Solent Mind’s training team as they offer up their services to people who work in community groups and community services. From May, thanks to Daphne’s donation, the charity will be running a variety of training sessions, including suicide first aid, managing stress, men's mental health, and mental health first aid.

Mandy Wiltshire, wellbeing training team manager at Solent Mind, said: “This is an incredibly generous donation and we’re hugely grateful.

"We find that the people we work with take what they’ve learnt into their work life, home life, and tell their friends. It all gets paid forward. We are honoured to be able to do it, and my team are really excited to get going."

Daphne, a Winchester artist who taught at Princes Mead School for 20 years, lost her son, Tom Vaughan, when he drowned off Santa Monica Beach in 2019 at age 34.

Tom created a company just a few weeks before his death called Know Thyself. It aimed to help teach people about stress and anxiety and help them understand their own mental health.

After Tom’s passing, Daphne created the Know Thyself Charitable Trust, determined to help others suffering with mental health.

The 75-year-old said: "I think, strangely enough, losing my one and only son was just such a blow that I found the only way I could have got over it was to get above it and give, and that was the only thing that made me feel good.

"I have become extraordinarily spiritual since his death. I was far too selfish before and now I think there is something more. I was extremely close to Tom, and I do feel that he is with me still and I talk to him.

The 75-year-old added: "We have a memorial bench at St Catherine’s Hill, and I will sit there and tell him about the donations we’ve made."

Daphne, who has lived in Winchester for more than 40 years, would regularly talk to Tom about mental health. By raising money through virtual races involving 600 people, including Tom's close friends, Know Thyself has donated vast sums to charities since Tom's death - including Solent Mind.

At Solent Mind, we provide mental health support for people across Hampshire. To find out more about services near you, please visit: How to find mental health support | Solent Mind

If you are interested in finding out more about Solent Mind’s workplace wellbeing training courses, please visit: Workplace Wellbeing Training | Trusted mental health training at work