Member Article

Ultimate Finance delivers knockout punch for depression sufferers

The Leeds office of Ultimate Finance Group, which provides funds to SMEs, is hoping to deliver a telling blow to mental health problems having agreed to sponsor a charity dinner starring Frank Bruno to help raise money for the Leanne Baker Trust.

The trust was co-founded by Huddersfield man Darren Barker, one of the UK’s most collectable artists, after his sister Leanne took her own life after suffering years of clinical depression. The aim of the charity is to raise awareness of the cruel illness and support those affected by it.

To help raise funds at the event Darren, who was official portrait artist to the Queen, has agreed to paint and sketch Frank Bruno. These one-off pieces, signed by both men, will then be auctioned off at the event.

In addition to painting the Queen’s portrait, Darren was also official artist to the Olympic Games and his works grace many prestigious public and private collections, including 10 Downing Street, The House of Lords, St James’s Palace and the Bahrain Royal household. His celebrated works are becoming increasingly sought after by art collectors around the world.

In September Darren’s oil painting of England Rugby hero Jonny Wilkinson sold at an auction event for an astonishing £50,000.

Group sales director for Ultimate Finance, Nick Smith, is pleased to be sponsoring the event.

“Clinical depression is such an awful illness which can leave people feeling isolated even when they have their loved ones around them,” he said. “The hardest part is for those loved ones to spot the suffering. As in the case of Leanne, she seemed to have everything going for her but was hiding a deep sadness which led to the tragic event.

“Hopefully, through this event we can raise much needed funds to raise awareness and provide support.”

The event, which has been organised by James Beattie of seeitnowsports.com, will take place at Huddersfield’s John Smith Stadium on 13 February and will mark the 20th anniversary of Bruno becoming heavyweight world champion.

“Frank was a natural choice for this event as he fought a well-publicised battle with mental health issues after winning the world title,” said James. “He has since been hailed as a ‘champion’ for being candid, open and honest about how his depression affected his life.”

Tickets for the event are available from www.seeitnowsports.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Elena Dransfield .