Former Walsall mayor raised £70,000 for charity

Councillor Marco Longhi and his wife Andrea amassed around £73,000 through a series of fundraising events throughout the 2018/19 year for Walsall mental health charity WPH Counselling.

The figure beat the amount they raised in the previous year – where they also served as mayor and mayoress – by around £3,000 and Councillor Longhi added there was still more money coming in.

As a result of the first year’s funds, WPH was able to employ a part-time youth counsellor, fund an extra 263 counselling sessions and reduce average waiting times for appointments from 10-12 weeks to 4-6 weeks.

Councillor Longhi said he was delighted that the money raised in his second year of office will build on this work.

He said: “We are completely bowled over to have beaten the previous year’s total by a few thousand.

“But it was not just about raising the money. It was raising the awareness and generate an environment where people are comfortable talking about mental health.

“A lot of people still feel there is a stigma about it and we need to break down those barriers.

“My idea was always that we should target resources to young people, which is not to say older people don’t have mental health problems.

“It was about building stronger lives when young rather than picking up the pieces and repairing when they are older.

“We gave our all when we raised those funds. As mayor, you like to think you will leave an enduring legacy and look back and be pleased with what we have achieved.

“So many people have complimented us which is extremely humbling. Andrea has played an enormous part in this but so have so many other people. I could not have done this on my own.”

He added they would continue to remain involved with WPH Counselling and support them as much as he can in the future.

In an emotional message to Councillor Longhi, WPH service director Maureen Grainger said: “‘Many, many thanks’ seems totally inadequate for all of the amazing commitment you have given to improving the lives of young people in Walsall, who need to seek emotional/mental health support.

“All at WPH will be forever grateful that you chose to fund this organisation to provide the appropriate service required to fulfil your aims.”

Another of Councillor Longhi’s mental health support initiatives – a school ambassador scheme which sees primary and secondary pupils volunteer to support classmates in distress – was also hailed a success in helping young people in the town.