THE newly refurbished ballroom of the Falmouth Hotel sparkled on Friday, November 28 as more than 200 guests gathered for the Invictus Atlantic Grand Ball - and by the end of the evening, an extraordinary over £50,000 had been raised for the Invictus Trust.

The funds will support vital mental-health services for young people in Cornwall and strengthen the work of the county’s first dedicated adolescent mental-health unit.

The Invictus Trust was founded in 2011 by the family of a young Cornish man who lost his life to mental illness. The Cowburn family's aim was simple but urgent: to promote better understanding of adolescent mental health, and to ensure that no family faces such heartbreak without support.

From its early days providing information, signposting and school outreach, the charity has grown into one of Cornwall’s leading voices for young people’s mental health. Years of determined campaigning helped deliver Cornwall’s first purpose-built adolescent inpatient unit — the Sowenna Centre in Bodmin.

Invictus Trust have partnered with Clear Counselling, experts in providing adolescent mental health support. Their joint mission is to make professional counselling support easier, quicker to access, and free to any young person in Cornwall who needs it.

Backing the charity’s work was Invictus Atlantic, a four-man Cornish crew who took on one of the toughest endurance tests on the planet: rowing 3,000 nautical miles across the Atlantic.

Setting off from La Gomera in late 2024, they joined some 35 other boats in the gruelling race to Antigua. For 45 days, nine hours and 14 minutes, the team rowed in relentless two-hour shifts, battling 40-foot waves, sleep deprivation, salt sores and the raw force of the open ocean.

Speaking after the Ball, Jim Brittain-Long, skipper of the Invictus Atlantic crew, said: “The support we’ve felt from Cornwall has been extraordinary. When you’re out on the Atlantic in the pitch black, rowing through 40-foot waves, you think about home — and knowing that people are behind you makes all the difference. To see that same support come together tonight for young people’s mental health is incredibly moving.”

Their remarkable achievement has helped fund the Trust’s expanding services — including the partnership with Clear Counselling. 

The charity auction drew outstanding support from businesses, artists, makers, producers and individuals across Cornwall. Bidding was lively — from holidays in Portugal, Norfolk and Cornwall donated by private individuals to beautiful jewellery, restaurant experiences, bespoke art, a private party package complete with cocktails and entertainment, and a vast array of goodies donated by Falmouth’s shops.

The rowers — Jim Brittain-Long, Paul Hayes, Luke Morgan and Dave Radford-Wilson — gave moving speeches about their seven weeks at sea, while Sharon Cowburn, co-founder of the Invictus Trust, spoke powerfully about the charity’s origins following the loss of her son Ben to mental illness.

A unique original oil painting capturing the crew’s arrival into Antigua was unveiled and auctioned on the night. Limited-edition prints are available for a minimum £20 donation to the charity. They can be purchased by emailing [email protected]