Blue Monday is recognised by many as the most depressing day of the year and amid the Covid-19 pandemic, understanding of mental health is a real priority. Today, Surrey FA have unveiled a new partnership with the mental health and suicide prevention charity Beder, which aims to increase understanding and raise awareness of the cause across the County.

Beder is a new charity taking a unique approach to raising awareness around mental health and suicide prevention through exciting and inspiring events and initiatives.

In the coming months, Surrey FA and Beder will be joining forces to create a series of videos with clubs from across the county talking about the clubs’ role in their local community as well as opening up the conversation around mental health by sharing stories from individuals on their personal experiences and reflections.

As part of the partnership Beder’s own representative team, Beder FC, will use Surrey FA’s community-centred Meadowbank Football Ground facility for their home fixtures. The club themselves are open to players of all abilities.

Beder was founded in memory of Beder Mirjan by his older brother, Razzak Mirjan, in November 2019. As a family, it was a collective decision to start a charity in his name because whilst it is not possible to rewrite history and have him with them today, they believe that there are positives that can be found from their darkest days.

Beder intends to increase understanding and reduce fear around the topics of mental health and suicide in order to overcome the stigma surrounding these incredibly important, yet underestimated, issues.

Beder hopes that its soft approach to raising awareness around mental health and suicide prevention will help normalise the conversation around these issues. Beder wants to help everyone learn about mental health as well as the work being done to support those in need, and to understand that you are not alone.

Commenting on the launch of their partnership with Surrey FA, Beder Founder Razzak Mirjan said, “I am delighted that we will be working with Surrey FA to play our part in raising awareness around these important societal issues. Through this partnership we will continue to use the powerful medium of football to break down and overcome the stigma surrounding mental health and connect with individuals in need of support.”

Sally Lockyer, Chief Executive Officer, Surrey FA, added, “We are so pleased to be partnering with Beder in this way. We all know that football has immense power to create social change and reach large audiences and in working with Beder we hope that together, we can help start conversations about mental health across the grassroots football community.”

Beder has also partnered with YoungMinds, a leading mental health charity, and Samaritans, an established and highly respected charity working across the UK and Ireland to reduce suicide rates. The aims of these partnerships are to harness the specialist knowledge of YoungMinds and Samaritans, as well as to promote and further both charities’ incredible work.