Select Car Leasing, Principal Partner of Reading FC since 2021, backs mental health and suicide prevention charity Beder.
On February 1st, the Beder logo will be on players’ shirts as part of a broader initiative designed to get more people talking about the importance of checking in on those around you.
Mark Tongue, CEO and Founder of Select Car Leasing, said: “Football brings people together, uniting fans from all walks of life with a shared sense of belonging and identity.
“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.”
Beder was founded in 2019 by Razzak Mirjan and his family following the tragic loss of Razzak’s brother, Beder Mirjan, who took his own life aged 18 in 2017.
Razzak said: “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.”
The charity can 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.
