Select donates shirt sponsorship to mental health charity Beder - Select Car Leasing
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Select donates shirt sponsorship to mental health charity Beder

We need new conversations about mental health and suicide prevention - which is why Select Car Leasing is proud to be backing UK charity Beder.

Credit JasonPix. Beder founder Razzak Mirjan, left, Select Car Leasing founder Mark Tongue, right

Since 2021, Select has been the Principal Partner of Reading FC, with the company’s logo featuring on club shirts and the stadium itself.

On February 1st, however - as Reading take on Bolton Wanderers at the Select Car Leasing stadium - players’ shirts will instead be emblazoned with the Beder logo as part of a broader initiative designed to get more people talking and to focus on the importance of checking in on those around you.

Beder is a mental health and suicide prevention charity founded in 2019 by Razzak Mirjan (below, left) and his family following the tragic loss of Razzak’s brother, Beder Mirjan (below, right), who took his own life aged 18 in 2017.

Beder’s passing was, as Razzak points out, the ‘hardest days of all of our lives’. But Beder’s name lives on through the charity’s incredible work.

Razzak says: “We’re incredibly grateful to Select Car Leasing for giving us this unique opportunity and we can’t wait to see the Reading FC players wearing our one-off Beder shirts.

“The idea is simple. We hope that by seeing the Beder logo on the players’ chests it sparks enough curiosity from supporters that they Google our name and find out what we do. It’s about kick-starting new conversations about mental health and suicide prevention and making more people feel comfortable about opening-up.”

Credit JasonPix

Beder adopts a ‘soft’ approach to raising awareness about one of society’s biggest issues, steering clear of ‘scary’ stats and instead focusing on how it can affect real change.

Beder organises sporting fixtures, publishes celebrity cook books, and hosts live entertainment events to raise funds.

The list of celebrity ambassadors is also growing, with the likes of Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes and Fulham’s Alex Iwobi having recently opened up to Beder about their own approach to mental health.

But one of Beder’s key strengths is how it is able to fund six free online therapy sessions, of 50 minutes each via its partner Mindler, to anyone who applies for Beder Therapy Vouchers.

Beder Therapy Vouchers are available to anyone who is 18 or older - men and women of all demographics living in the UK - with more than 500 online sessions having already taken place since mid-2023.

Razzak, from Raynes Park, south-west London, explains: “Mental health provision in the UK is improving but due to the demand for therapy, as people feel more open about talking about what is on their mind and who pro-actively look after their mental health, it’s clear that more is needed.

“That’s why Beder decided to focus on providing free access to therapy, to give people opportunities they might not otherwise get, and to plug some of the gaps that might exist when it comes to mental health care.”

Speaking about the free therapy vouchers specifically, Razzak adds: “Some people have asked for additional vouchers beyond the six free sessions and as long as they meet certain criteria, we’ll provide that extra support.”

Credit JasonPix. Left to right: Reading midfielder Charlie Savage, Select founder Mark Tongue, Beder founder Razzak Mirjan, Reading forward Harvey Knibbs 

Beder is no stranger to football.

Beder FC is a football club open to all and which typically plays once a month at the Meadowbank Stadium in Dorking, Surrey. Beder FC takes on teams from other charities, corporate sides, and even celebrity 11s.

There’s a Whatsapp group of 120 players with no commitment to play - just turn up when you like. If you do take part, you might be rubbing shoulders with ex-professionals like ex-Watford attacker Marvin Sordell and former Fulham left-back Matt Briggs, who are regular supporters of the charity.

And what about the person who inspired Beder to exist in the first place? (Beder pictured below, left, with father Yahya)

Razzak, Head of Legal at a music merchandising company, says: “Beder was quite quiet, and maybe a little reserved at first, but once you got to know him you met a fun-loving, gentle giant of a human being. He loved anything to do with aircrafts - he was in the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) and was studying for his private pilot licence. He was just a really sweet young man. We lost him with little knowledge of what he was going through.

“Beder’s death was life-changing and the hardest days of all of our lives. But we started Beder as a charity to do good in his name, to keep him with us, and it’s probably part of my own continuing therapy.

“We also hope Beder has inspired others and has shown that you can continue to talk about people who have passed long after they’re gone. Suicide is a difficult conversation - once you lose someone to suicide people are hesitant to bring up their name because it’s so emotive. But the most important thing is to keep talking about them. You die twice - once when you pass away and again when people stop talking about you. We’re keen to ensure that’s not the case for Beder.”

Credit JasonPix

Mark Tongue, CEO and Founder of Select Car Leasing, says he jumped at the chance to back Beder.

He revealed: “Football brings people together, uniting fans from all walks of life with a shared sense of belonging and identity. So what better way to spread the word about one of the UK’s leading mental health and suicide prevention charities than by putting Beder’s name and logo on the front of a team’s shirt?

“Personally speaking, my own family has been touched by the loss of a loved one through suicide so this is a topic close to my own heart.

“When we learned about the charity’s aims and ambitions, we jumped at the chance to put Beder in the spotlight at the Select Car Leasing stadium for this special, one-off occasion. It’s a chance for people to start thinking more deeply about mental health, to check in with friends and family, and to open-up about how they might be feeling. These aren’t easy conversations but it’s vital that we all have them.”

Credit Jason Pix. Left to right: Charlie Savage, Razzak Mirjan, Reading defender Andy Yiadom, Yahya Mirjan, Harvey Knibbs

** Besides featuring on the front of shirts, Beder will also have a presence in the Reading FC Fan Zone at the Select Car Leasing stadium from 1pm, Feb 1st, for the home match against Bolton Wanderers. You’ll be able to play a game of football darts, win prizes, buy merchandise, and even rub shoulders with a former Reading player.

For more information about Beder - beder.org.uk


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