Ultimate Frisbee organise charity tournament for former RoHo student who died by suicide

Over the weekend, Ultimate Frisbee organised a charity tournament on campus in order to raise money and awareness for the Cameron Grant Memorial Trust, a charity established in memory of former Royal Holloway student and Ultimate Frisbee team member, Cameron Grant.

Cameron took his life in 2014 after suffering from depression for several years. To honour their former team member and support the charity established by Cameron's family in order to spread awareness about young suicide and mental health, Royal Holloway's Ultimate Frisbee has put a lot of effort into organising the event for the past five years.

They invited various teams across the country, both RoHo alumni as well as other sports teams to participate in the tournament and the bake sale on Founders field.

Suicide rates have almost doubled in the last eight years and drawing attention to the issues students might be experiencing, as well as ensuring that young people know where they can seek help is more important than ever before.

The Royal Holloway Tab spoke to Ultimate Frisbee president Veronika Turek in order to learn more about the tournament and its cause.

How much money did you raise over the years for the Cameron Grand Memorial Trust?

I'm not sure exactly how much was made in previous years, but last year we raised about £70, whereas this year we were able to raise around £240, and I couldn't be prouder.

How did you come up with the idea for the tournament?

The tournament was started as a commemoration of Cameron Grant, who sadly took his life in 2014. His parents set up the Cameron Grant Memorial Trust to help battle mental health issues, and as such the club has continued to host this event every year as there are many alumni who come back for the day.

This year we really tried to go above and beyond what we had last year, and managed to get four teams playing. It is a great opportunity for teams to get together in a friendly, non-competitive environment and play a fun sport, and really keep up a great spirit.

Cameron's parents also come down every year for the day, and it is great to see that hosting this event has become an essential part of the team.

Why do you think the tournament is so important?

The tournament is so important because it supports a great cause. Mental health issues are becoming a more and more pressing issue in today's world, and they are so often hidden and cannot be seen on the surface.

By raising awareness for this Trust we truly get talking about these issues. This event gives us a platform to do so, and so we will continue running it in the future, making it bigger and better and more heard, to keep Cameron's memory alive.