Our offices are closed on Monday 20th July for the funeral of Aaron Kurtis

It is with great sadness that I share the news that, earlier this month, our colleague Aaron Kurtis passed away. Aaron was a much loved member of the Purple Frog team and we miss him very much.

The passing of anyone is sad. The fact that Aaron took his own life makes his death even more tragic.

Aaron’s funeral is on Monday, 20th July. Many of his friends at the company will be attending, which means we are closing all of our offices for the day.

Aaron joined Purple Frog in 2018 and had an instant, positive impact on the company. He was passionate and enthusiastic about everything, and he formed many close friendships here.

Aaron championed mental health support. While at Purple Frog, he encouraged us to make it central to the company’s philosophy. He organised mental health first aid training, set up an Employee Assistance Programme, and made sure that Student Minds (a mental health charity for students) is our company charity. His hard work and spirit allowed us to have an open and compassionate conversation about mental health.

Aaron’s passing has brought home in a terrible, painful way that mental health problems aren’t something you shouldn’t try to shoulder alone. If you are struggling, please reach out to someone. The world is a better place with you in it.

Support is available. Student Minds information is here: https://www.studentminds.org.uk/findsupport.html. Or please speak to the Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/.These services are free and confidential.

We will continue to support mental health charities and work to remove the stigma around mental health.

Our thoughts and sympathies are with Aaron’s friends and family.

Patrick Garratt, Managing Director, Purple Frog