The Andrew Gidney Foundation is launched in the name of a talented young Saddleworth man who was taken in his prime

May 18, 2021 should have been Andrew Gidney’s 23rd birthday.

Instead on that date, the Andrew Gidney Foundation was launched in his name.

Andrew was a young man in his prime, heading towards a First-Class Computing Degree at Edge Hill University, when he suffered a depression that ended with him taking his own life.

He was a creative, intelligent and caring young man, much loved by many friends and family. 

Saddleworth man Andrew loved drawing and had a natural talent for it, as well as computers, being one of the authors of a paper on AI face recognition and building air-cooled computers for himself and with friends.

He was an animal lover, and fan of the outdoors, often walking on the hills of Saddleworth.

His love of music was shared by his brother, Chris, who has fond memories of them travelling to an Above and Beyond rave party at London’s O2 Arena during the Summer before he died.

Andrew didn’t have a history of mental illness.

Friends and family didn’t realise how depressed he’d become in the short time of three to four months, and it was difficult to tell when it began and why.

For the last couple of years, his family have been trying to find a way forward without Andrew.

He was an incredible person with a huge heart, and he is missed dreadfully.

Andrew's family feel now is the time to start doing good for local youths in his name, and support them to live their lives to the full.

They intend to benefit projects in the area he grew up in, Saddleworth, in particular projects that encourage creativity, computing skills and mental wellbeing in young people, as these were dear to Andrew’s heart.

Public Mental Health Services to date offer support until a child is 16.

After their birthday, youths are seen in their eyes as adults, and enter a world of poorly supported services.

A human brain fully matures at around the age of 25, so there’s a nine-year window when children are deemed adult, although still maturing.

In essence, our children are coping with major changes in their lives, such as going to University, securing a job, and maybe even having their own children, often without the support they need.

Any projects that could help to support youths with any of these pressures are very welcome to approach the family.

All monies that are kindly donated are collected by the Andrew Gidney Foundation and will be available to encourage and support local projects that will benefit youths.

The Andrew Gidney Foundation is a CIO that is waiting registration to the Charity Commission.

For more information, or to support the Foundation, please check out the JustGiving page here

You can also check out the Facebook Page here

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