Latest news with #BatonofHope
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'Amazing response' to suicide prevention tour
More than 130 people have applied to carry an Olympic torch-style baton through Kent as part of a suicide prevention campaign. The Baton of Hope comes to the county on 22 September and will pass through Medway, Maidstone, Canterbury and Thanet as part of a nationwide tour. It follows on from a similar event in the county in 2023. Alice Scutchey, the event's Kent and Medway co-ordinator, said: "This campaign really speaks to people." She said: "I never dreamed this many people would come forward to be baton bearers. "It has been a really amazing response." As well as raising awareness of suicide prevention support, the Baton of Hope campaign works to tackle suicide stigma by encouraging everyone to talk openly about mental health struggles. Rob Brady, from Canterbury, will be carrying the baton in memory of his best friend. He said: "I applied to carry the Baton of Hope in memory of Chris and for everyone who felt they couldn't say what they were really going through." The Kent Speak Their Name memorial quilt, created in honour of those who have lost their lives to suicide, will be on display in Margate to coincide with the Baton of Hope Tour. A warm-up event will be held in Folkestone on 21 September, where people can see the baton and find out about support services. Overall, the 2025 Baton of Hope Tour will visit 20 locations around the country. It starts in Blackpool on 1 September and ends in Wrexham on 4 October. It passes through Hastings in East Sussex on 23 September. Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Suicide prevention tour documentary to premiere Suicide prevention tour to return for second year Workshops to start to create memorial quilt Baton of Hope Kent County Council
BBC News
18-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
'Amazing response' in Kent for suicide prevention tour
More than 130 people have applied to carry an Olympic torch-style baton through Kent as part of a suicide prevention Baton of Hope comes to the county on 22 September and will pass through Medway, Maidstone, Canterbury and Thanet as part of a nationwide tour. It follows on from a similar event in the county in Scutchey, the event's Kent and Medway co-ordinator, said: "This campaign really speaks to people." She said: "I never dreamed this many people would come forward to be baton bearers."It has been a really amazing response."As well as raising awareness of suicide prevention support, the Baton of Hope campaign works to tackle suicide stigma by encouraging everyone to talk openly about mental health Brady, from Canterbury, will be carrying the baton in memory of his best said: "I applied to carry the Baton of Hope in memory of Chris and for everyone who felt they couldn't say what they were really going through." The Kent Speak Their Name memorial quilt, created in honour of those who have lost their lives to suicide, will be on display in Margate to coincide with the Baton of Hope Tour. A warm-up event will be held in Folkestone on 21 September, where people can see the baton and find out about support the 2025 Baton of Hope Tour will visit 20 locations around the country. It starts in Blackpool on 1 September and ends in Wrexham on 4 passes through Hastings in East Sussex on 23 September.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Oxford United holds suicide prevention training
Oxford United has delivered its first day of suicide prevention training for all of its players and staff. The club partnered with Baton of Hope in February to become the first professional football club to sign up to the charity's workplace pledge. It was taken on the third anniversary of the death of Oxford United legend Joey Beauchamp, who took his own life at home in Kidlington in 2022. Mike McCarthy, Baton of Hope co-founder, said it was about "opening conversations and getting people to talk". The club's partnership with the charity forms part of its Can We Talk? campaign to tackle the stigma around mental health and suicide. It was launched on World Mental Health Day in October 2024 in partnership with the Joey Beauchamp Foundation. United first team player and Baton of Hope ambassador Will Vaulk, who lost his two grandfathers to suicide, lead the campaign and said he wanted to "have an impact on making a change". Can We Talk? founder Ryan Maher said the club had recognised "through its own past and its own history that there is a real deep connection to suicide with Oxford United and the county". "Footballers are people that people look up to," he said. "There's an audience here of people who are majority men and unfortunately with suicides, the majority of cases are men. "We've already seen such an impact... we are making a difference, which is so amazing. "But we're not going to stop there, we want to improve that." Mr McCarthy, whose son took his own life in February 2021, said men in particular "find it very hard, if not impossible, to open up about the emotional challenges that we all go through". "Unless we normalise conversations about it, nothing's going to change." He said he had found out that employers were "afraid" to tackle the issue. "That's where we come in - we guide and help employers to be able to keep their staff safe and well and to recognise that mental health is every bit as important as physical health," he said. Personnel at team sponsor and heating company Baxi have also taken part in the training. Paul Haynes from the company said he had lost a family member and a good friend to suicide. He said: "It resonated with us... and we feel it's really important that through the power of sport you can help spread the word. "But also within industry, we want to say that it is OK to talk." If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Mental health issues 'not weakness' - Oxford coach Oxford United Baton of Hope Joey Beauchamp Foundation
BBC News
30-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Oxford United's suicide prevention training 'opens conversations'
Oxford United has delivered its first day of suicide prevention training for all of its players and club partnered with Baton of Hope in February to become the first professional football club to sign up to the charity's workplace was taken on the third anniversary of the death of Oxford United legend Joey Beauchamp, who took his own life at home in Kidlington in McCarthy, Baton of Hope co-founder, said it was about "opening conversations and getting people to talk". The club's partnership with the charity forms part of its Can We Talk? campaign to tackle the stigma around mental health and was launched on World Mental Health Day in October 2024 in partnership with the Joey Beauchamp Foundation. United first team player and Baton of Hope ambassador Will Vaulk, who lost his two grandfathers to suicide, lead the campaign and said he wanted to "have an impact on making a change".Can We Talk? founder Ryan Maher said the club had recognised "through its own past and its own history that there is a real deep connection to suicide with Oxford United and the county"."Footballers are people that people look up to," he said."There's an audience here of people who are majority men and unfortunately with suicides, the majority of cases are men."We've already seen such an impact... we are making a difference, which is so amazing."But we're not going to stop there, we want to improve that." Mr McCarthy, whose son took his own life in February 2021, said men in particular "find it very hard, if not impossible, to open up about the emotional challenges that we all go through"."Unless we normalise conversations about it, nothing's going to change."He said he had found out that employers were "afraid" to tackle the issue."That's where we come in - we guide and help employers to be able to keep their staff safe and well and to recognise that mental health is every bit as important as physical health," he at team sponsor and heating company Baxi have also taken part in the Haynes from the company said he had lost a family member and a good friend to said: "It resonated with us... and we feel it's really important that through the power of sport you can help spread the word."But also within industry, we want to say that it is OK to talk." If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Suicide prevention documentary to premiere in Sheffield
A documentary film about a suicide awareness and prevention campaign that toured the UK will premiere in Baton of Hope relay passed through 12 cities in 12 days - from Glasgow to London - in film, called Raising the Baton: A Manifesto for Hope will be shown at Sheffield's Millennial Gallery on co-founder Mike McCarthy, who lives in the city, said: "It's just so special to me and my family to be able to show this documentary in our home city." Mr McCarthy lost his son to suicide in 2021 and founded the Baton of Hope charity with Steve Phillip from Harrogate, whose son, Jordan, died in the time, the Olympic-style baton relay, which passed through Sheffield on its way to 10 Downing Street - was billed as the UK's largest ever suicide awareness and prevention McCarthy said his son, who left a message asking his family to campaign for better mental health support, had "a lot of affection" for Sheffield."The thought of a documentary which, in some ways, celebrates his life and honours him is something which means so much to me that I can't really describe it," said Mr McCarthy. 'People ready to talk' The baton event is set to return in September but will this time visit 20 locations over 40 charity said applications from bereaved loved ones to carry the baton had already exceeded the target of 1, McCarthy said people had described it as the "perfect opportunity to honour a loved one that they lost - and that they didn't have to whisper it".He said "people are ready to talk about this previously taboo subject and tired of ignoring it"."Never in our wildest dreams did we expect the campaign to take off in the way that it did," he added. "We're trying to encourage people to understand that suicide is everyone's business - we all have the power within us to generate hope."If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, or catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
