“We're truly honoured" - Pioneering and innovative charity R;pple wins Centre for Social Justice award
A Portsmouth based charity has been recognised with a prestigious national award with the organisers labelling it an “impressive and innovative organisation”.
R;pple, a suicide prevention charity set up by Alice Hendy MBE, of Stubbington, was awarded a Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) Award. The awards are known as the ‘Oscars’ of the small charity world and have a focus on celebrating those that are providing innovative policy solutions to address the root causes of poverty across the UK.
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Alice set up the charity in memory of her brother Josh, who died by suicide in 2020. It’s flagship invention is a browser based tool that detects harmful internet searches relating to suicide, self-harm and other crisis triggers.
Alice, CEO of R;pple, said: “We're truly honoured that R;pple has been recognised with a CSJ Award this year. R;pple was born from a place of deep personal loss, and to see it now helping thousands of people in crisis is incredibly humbling.”
Since it first launched, R;pple has been downloaded over two million times. The charity has verified at least 32 instances where individuals directly attributed their survival to R;pple’s intervention.
Not only did they receive the award but also received £40,000 in funding.
Alice said: “We plan to use the award funding to develop our AI capabilities, making R;pple even more intuitive and able to reach people at an earlier stage in their mental health journey, before they reach a point of crisis.”
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The CSJ award panel of judges included Akshata Murty, Rachel Riley and past CSJ Award winners who came together to pick the winners. The judges highlighted how R;pple had a remarkable ability to “meet people exactly where they are; in the privacy of an online search—without judgement, stigma or delay.”
Mark Libby, Head of Partnerships at the CSJ Foundation, said: “I do not say this lightly, but in my several years at CSJ this is one of the most impressive and innovative organisation I have had the privilege of getting to know. This is a great example of technology harnessed to achieve such significant outcomes.
“ Alice herself is inspiring and will not stop – suicide is the focus but just the start, watch this space… R;pple will cover other areas, such as alcoholism and domestic abuse to name just two.
“There is real scope to brighten the dark corners of the internet and help people who are struggling or lost. Investment in R;pple pays dividends at a scale few other charities can replicate.”
Further information on R;pple can be found at https://www.ripplesuicideprevention.com/
If you've been affected and bereaved by suicide, Cruse is a dedicated service providing free and confidential support across Portsmouth, Southampton, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Call 0330 555 0129, or visit supportaftersuicideship.org.uk
If you need urgent help with your mental health, there is free support available 24/7 from:
- Samaritans - call 116 123 or email [email protected]
- Shout - text HANTS to 85258