Taking a leap of faith for Charlie

Posted on 30 April 2018

Four YUSU sabbatical officers are to leap out of a plane at 15,000 feet to raise money for a cause close to their hearts.

L-R: Julian Porch, Mia Shantana Chaudhuri-Julyan, Alex Urquhart, Laura Carruthers, Mikey Collinson

L-R: Julian Porch, Mia Shantana Chaudhuri-Julyan, Alex Urquhart, Laura Carruthers. Mikey Collinson is not taking part in the jump but helping to organise and fundraise.

Julian Porch, Mia Shantana Chaudhuri-Julyan, Alex Urquhart, and Laura Carruthers will take part in the sponsored sky dive in aid of the Charlie Watkins Foundation.

Charlie was a former York student who took his own life in March last year. A year on since Charlie’s death, the YUSU sabbatical team are fundraising for the Foundation, which aims to educate and raise awareness of mental health issues among young people going through higher education.

The four sabbatical officers will be joined on the sponsored sky dive at Hibaldstow Airfield in North Lincolnshire on Monday 28 May 2018 by Charlie’s brother Harry.

York Sport President Laura Carruthers, one of Charlie’s friends, said “Nothing can quite prepare you for losing a best friend. I felt heartbroken. This is why I and the other sabbs want to do something to help. We want to raise awareness to students about mental health issues, and raise money for the Foundation which does brilliant work in educating people about the stigma surrounding suicide.”

Charlie was a much-loved student at York, and was heavily involved in the University community. In 2016 he ran for YUSU’s Student Activities Officer, and was an active member of the Lacrosse team.