Young People referred in 2024
Young People referred this year
Young People referred since 2022
Since April 2022, the Elliott Holmes Memorial Fund (EHMF) has been a vital lifeline, providing mental health counselling to over 300 young people. We rely almost entirely on community-driven events and donations to sustain our critical work.
Our no-barriers approach allows young people in the Borough to self-refer through our website and receive timely, effective support, with most appointments scheduled within seven days. We leverage the immediate availability in the private counselling sector and have 11 counsellors distributed throughout the borough. We collaborate closely with Gravesham secondary schools, Kent Police, Darent Valley Hospital, Gravesham Leisure Centres, local charities, and various local clubs and organisations.
93% of our funding is raised through community events and schools, engaging over 6,000 people, the remainder through private sector grants and donations
There is no comparable service in the UK. With the NHS overwhelmed, accessing free face-to-face counselling anywhere in the UK, is nearly impossible. Tragically, 83% of the young people who self-refer to us have been unable to access support elsewhere.
EHMF was inspired and established by Peter Scutts and Kerry Holmes, who lost their son, Elliott to suicide in 2020 after he failed to access the help he needed.
How you can help
Support our events, share our social media posts, become a Young person sponsor – visit our How You Can Help page to find out other ways you can help.
Up and Coming Events – Book Online Today!
Pen Y Fan Summer Challenge
Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge – May 2025
Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge
Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge – July 2025
Counselling feedback
The referral process was very easy, and we were kept up to date all the way through. The counsellors that worked with our students have gone above and beyond to accommodate appointments and times that fit best with our students’ needs.
There have been significant changes in our students, they have learnt some very useful strategies to help them cope. We cannot reiterate enough, how grateful we are for their support.
Thank you Peter and your amazing team.
Your service has been an absolute godsend for my son. We were able to access support very swiftly and smoothly, due to my son, having autism, it was vital, the counsellor understood his needs and how he expresses himself.
The counsellor, has been so calm and collected and allowed my son to verbalise his feelings around, losing his best friend with such ease, I as his parent struggled to get him to rationalise his feelings. She immediately built up a good trusting relationship with him. I was so grateful for this service to become available, it is age-appropriate, local, and accessible.
Thank you for everything you do!
I have suffered with my mental health for many years so seeking help was a really hard thing for me to do as my suffering had become a normality. I was so scared to confide in someone and feared I would be judged. Now having completed my sessions, I feel like a different person. I feel stronger and more optimistic about the future. This has completely changed my life for the better and I can’t wait to see what the future brings.
My dad originally suggested I try counselling and I was a bit scared but after the first couple of sessions I felt relaxed and I began to talk. I can honestly say it has helped me loads and my confidence is higher and my anxiety is less
You are not alone, you may feel it but help is available and once you take that first step you will feel so much better for not bottling it up. Speak to someone, don’t suffer alone.
I feel more able to cope since having counselling. My Counsellor was nice and easy to talk to.
