(l-R) Stephens Scown Charity Committee members Victoria Wells, Tyler Richards, Jess George and Anna Davies; Invictus Trust’s Steve Cowburn, and Charity Committee member Judy Reski at Stephens Scown

A Cornish charity that provides essential mental health support to young and vulnerable people has visited Stephens Scown’s Truro office, as part of a new charity partnership.

Invictus Trust was founded in 2011 by Steve Cowburn and his family in the wake of his son Ben’s suicide, and the charity was chosen by Stephens Scown employees in Cornwall as its new charity partner.

Cowburn told attendees about the history of Invictus Trust and what they are hoping to achieve moving forward.

Anna Davies, a trainee in Stephens Scown’s dispute resolution team, is the chair of the firm’s Cornwall Charity Committee. She organised the visit to the office and said: “One of the most striking moments of Steve’s talk was when he asked people to raise their hands if they had a physical ailment in the last 12 months, then to do the same if they had a mental one; the former question prompted almost everyone to raise their hands, whilst no-one raised their hand to the latter.

“There is still an ongoing stigma about mental health issues, and Steve’s talk highlighted the importance of not only raising funds to build facilities to support those will mental illnesses, but also of fostering an environment where mental health can be discussed openly and without judgment.”

Stephens Scown has signed up the Mindful Employer Charter and has implemented various initiatives to support and raise awareness around wellbeing and positive mental health.

Reflecting on the new charity partnership, Steve Cowburn said: “I was impressed by Stephens Scown’s commitment to supporting the mental health of its employees and look forward to its fundraising efforts in future.”