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A personal message from our Stix2 Directors
In November 2022 a very close family friend of our Directors, Joshua van Leader, aged 31 years, took his own life after losing a five-year battle with daily constant pain and severe depression.
So, our Directors Matty & Ruth will be running the Great North Run for team JVL, alongside Josh’s Father Mark and Sisters Katie and Emma. Raising money and awareness for the Mental Health Foundation: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/
Our Just Giving page for any donation which would be massively appreciated:
www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ruth-welch6
Josh van Leader’s story
Joshua’s story is truly inspiring, he created a range of astonishing pieces of work that covers fine and abstract art, men’s fashion clothing, a range of beautiful and thought-provoking poetry books as well as a book that uses his mythical god images (Physiognomy) aimed at helping others with their mental health.
About Josh van Leader
Joshua lived an incredible life spending his early years playing football at an elite level and then moved into men’s fashion design through the Academy of Art in San Francisco. Joshua’s mental health deteriorated after a chest operation. Over a five-year period, he turned to his art creating some incredible fine/abstract art collections, as well as a series of poetry books aimed at mental health.
After Joshua passed his family and friends established the “Joshua Van Leader” organisation with the key aim of getting his work out into the world so that it can continue to help others in the true spirit and manner in which Joshua lived his life.
The organisation has consolidated all of his work into a re-structured JVL website that contains his story in detail, his work broken down into categories and also a series of blogs written from the family since his death that talk about his work, his life and his mental health.
Be a shining light, long live the magic we have all made we are all in this together.
JVL web site: https://joshuavanleader.com/
Please take a look at this amazing website and engage with the JVL story and what the organisation is trying to achieve. There is so much material on this website (books and blogs are a good starting point) that could help other people that you know who are suffering with mental health challenges.
We really appreciate your support and understanding on such a personal message.
Matty & Ruth
And the JVL team