The Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation (IFCF) has strengthened its partnership with the suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to tackle the UK’s growing youth suicide crisis, through the launch of a new film.
Following the landmark “Missed Birthdays” campaign last September, CALM has unveiled a moving new film, Evelyn, in partnership with ITV. Airing on Tuesday 28th January, the film tells the story of Evelyn, who tragically took her own life at the age of 15. Narrated by Evelyn’s mother, Jenni, the film explores the devastating impact of youth suicide on families and the urgent need for suicide prevention tools like the C.A.R.E. Kit.
Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation has donated more than £800,000 in funding to help CALM have over 37,000 life-saving conversations via their helpline. The retailer is continuing its partnership with the charity in 2025, by pledging a further £300,000 and through the support of this new film – which acts as a stark reminder of the current youth suicide crisis in the UK.
Over the last decade, 6,929 15-24-year-olds have lost their lives to suicide.* New research conducted by CALM today shows that 65% of UK adults would say they wouldn’t know where to find practical support for young people dealing with suicidal thoughts, and 59% feel there is insufficient public services funding for mental health and suicide prevention.**
The suicide prevention charity has taken steps to help address these gaps with its C.A.R.E. Kit. Taking people through four steps – Check in, Ask how they are, Remain close and Expert help – the C.A.R.E Kit is a series of easy-to-follow steps to support every adult in the UK to have potentially life-saving conversations with the young people in their lives, including conversation practice and guidance on keeping a young person in crisis safe. The CALM C.A.R.E Kit is funded by Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation.
Tarsem Dhaliwal OBE, group chief executive of Iceland Foods and Trustee of Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation, said: “Youth suicide is an urgent crisis, and we’re proud to support CALM’s powerful campaign to raise awareness and provide practical tools that can save lives.
“At Iceland, we’re deeply committed to the communities we serve, and we believe it’s crucial to help trusted adults feel confident in having those vital conversations with young people. Talking about suicide can feel difficult, but it’s only by addressing it directly that we can start to make a difference. CALM’s C.A.R.E. Kit is an invaluable resource, and we encourage everyone to take the time to familiarise themselves with it. Together, we can help ensure young people feel supported and know they’re not alone.”
Simon Gunning, CEO of CALM, said: “We cannot stand idly by while young lives continue to be needlessly lost. Over the past decade, 6,929 young adults have taken their own lives in the UK, and these statistics serve as a deafening call to action against government inaction, which has consistently failed young people in the UK.
Suicide prevention can’t wait. Young people are facing immense social challenges and economic pressures, which is why we’ve taken it upon ourselves to fill that gap now with the CALM C.A.R.E Kit, which we’re urging absolutely everyone to save, share and bookmark.
We all have a role to play in ending youth suicide. By starting life-saving conversations, we can all do our bit to help a young person find a way forward and make sure they never believe that suicide is their only option.”
The CALM C.A.R.E. Kit is free and available at care.thecalmzone.net.
