Steve Tindall

Bee-lieve Foundation was established in 2020 to celebrate my 30th year as a teacher. The charity is my way of trying to give a little extra back to support young people and their families.

When I hatched the plan to set up the charity in the summer of 2019, little did I know that the forthcoming academic year would turn out to be the strangest and most difficult of my entire teaching career. The coronavirus pandemic that swept across the world saw schools closed and the country in lock down. Suddenly the need to focus on the mental health & wellbeing of young people magnified exponentially. At Bee-lieve Foundation we want to make a positive difference to the lives and life chances of young people.

As a teacher, my greatest passion has always been turning negatives into positives, turning perceived problems into successes. I have always been a strong advocate of a positive ‘can do’ mind set, of challenging children to bravely step out of their comfort zone then supporting and praising them every step of the way. There is nothing more special in teaching than witnessing that moment when a child transfers from ‘I can’t do it’ to the smile and excitement which shows they now believe they can.
High levels of self-esteem, being valued, a feeling of connection & belonging are essential elements of good mental health and these ultimately lead to happiness and success. These values will underpin all the work we do at Bee-lieve Foundation.

As a very proud Northerner, my life-long passions outside of my professional life are rugby league, cricket, hiking in any mountain range I can visit and rock music. When I get a spare minute I also love painting and spending time in my garden.