The Baton of Hope charity calls for end to UK’s “complacent and neglectful” approach to suicide prevention, ahead of national conference

The Baton of Hope

The national suicide prevention charity The Baton of Hope is calling for a sea-change in attitudes towards suicide prevention describing the UK’s current approach as “complacent and neglectful.”

This comes in advance of its first national conference on 16th May 2024, to be held at the Octagon Centre in Sheffield, which will drive home the strong message that suicide should be ‘everyone’s business’ – not just the business of a select few.

Suicide is preventable

The Baton of Hope founder Mike McCarthy, who founded Baton of Hope after the death of his son Ross to suicide in 2021, said:

“We cannot turn a blind eye to the national catastrophe of suicide any longer,” he said. “6,000 people every year in the UK alone are being lost to something that is now widely described by expert clinicians as preventable.”

“We can either accept the evidence that referrals to mental health services have surged and try as a compassionate society to do something positive about it as a collective or we can dismiss it as part of a “sick note” culture.

“We can either go on with a complacent and neglectful approach, pretending that suicide is not the biggest killer of men and women under 35, or we can try to bring an end to the 16-year long stagnation in UK suicide statistics.”

Baton of Hope national conference

Titled 'Making Suicide Everyone's Business,’ The Baton of Hope National conference at The Octagon Centre in Sheffield will bring people together from across the UK who are passionate to change the way that suicide is seen, talked about and treated.

“Our first Baton of Hope national conference aims to inspire collective action on suicide and drive home the urgent message that suicide prevention is everyone’s business – not just the responsibility of the select few. Everyone is capable of generating hope when it comes to preventing suicide.”

“We hope the conference will mobilise many more individuals and organisations across the UK to take positive action.”

Launch of The Workplace Pledge

The Baton of Hope conference will include the launch of the Workplace Pledge, a comprehensive and practical guide for leaders and organisations about what organisations can and should be doing to help prevent death by suicide.

The Workplace Pledge has 6 principles for suicide support, and prevention in the workplace, giving organisations a toolkit to enable them to act.
Renowned speakers

Featuring speakers including former political spin doctor Alastair Campbell, world-renowned suicide prevention expert Professor Rory O’Connor, and leading psychologist Dr Nihara Krause, the event is a call to arms against a crisis that affects us all.

The event is open to all, and tickets are available at:
https://batonofhopeuk.org/events/

For more information or interviews contact Rebecca Griffiths, rebecca@griffithshuntpr.com, 07792568421