The Sophie Clarke foundation organised an art exhibition called The Love Life, in Bishopgate from November 8-17. The event was announced in May, with participation from beginner to professional artists willing to express their skills and thoughts towards life.
The event’s main objective was to bring out the results of thoughtful illustrations about different ways of loving life and supporting the mental health of individuals via fundraising. At the end of the challenge, the foundation received 200 submissions in 60 different categories, which were then selected by celebrities David Beckham, Alixie Bovey, Ian Hislop and Henry Fraser. The event had an online auction that generated many Instagram responses from viewers.
The Sophie Clarke foundation was created in October 2020 by Tara Clarke in memory of her late sister who committed suicide, with the goal of supporting other charities that deal with mental health issues.
Their first event was a fitness challenge in January 2021 and it raised money to support selected charities that aim to bring a change in people.
Tara said: “We set up the Foundation to emphasise this message and raise widespread awareness of how important it is to look after ourselves, support those around us and encourage the change, conversation and openness that is needed to prevent the overwhelming number of suicides that happen each year”.
In 2020 alone, 5224 people in England and Wales committed suicide and events like these are addressing this crisis and spreading awareness.
Money raised in the auction will go to suicide prevention charity, Papyrus, and Sound Minds, a charity that helps people find a new direction in life. Along with the online auction, donations amounting to £200,000 were raised to support other mental health charities.
The future goals of the foundation are to bring a large community of charities together and support the people by organising “be for each other” events.
