The great and the good from Derby have come together to record a collaborative video explaining how they stay hopeful during difficult times – in a bid to help reduce the number of people who take their own lives.
The video has been recorded to mark World Suicide Prevention Day today (Friday 10th September 2021), and has been organised by Derby North MP Amanda Solloway, who is also the Founder of the mental health organisation Head High.
Among the messages of hope is a recording from Gavin Boyle, Chief Executive of University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust, who reminds viewers that “it’s okay to not be okay.”
Derby’s Youth Mayor, Connie Spencer, says she talks to friends when she’s going through a hard time, while Dr Drew Smith, who ran Derby’s Covid-19 Mass Vaccination Centre, says he enjoys walking in the countryside with his dog.
Kathryn Mitchell, who is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Derby, thinks about the achievements of students when she is feeling down, while Matthew Taylor, who is Community Connector for YMCA Derbyshire, recommends talking openly about any problems you may be facing.
Amanda is passionate about promoting conversations around mental health and her own family’s experiences with mental health difficulties have been well documented.
She said: “My cousin took his own life when he was just 36 years old, and this loss affected my whole family, who were completely devastated; it’s something you never really get over.
“The latest statistics showed that in 2018, in the UK and Republic of Ireland, more than 6,800 people died by suicide, which is just so heart-breaking.
“Every single life lost to suicide is a tragedy, not just because the repercussions are felt by all their family and friends, but also because they are entirely preventable.
“By opening up conversations and identifying the mechanisms that help you cope when you are going through a difficult time, we will hopefully help save lives.”
World Suicide Prevention Day is staged every year by The Samaritans, in alliance with more than 70 other suicide prevention and mental health groups, under the National Suicide Prevention Alliance (NSPA).
This year’s theme, which will be in place until 2023, is ‘Creating Hope Through Action’, which aims to empower people with the confidence to engage with the activities that give them ‘hope’.
Amanda added: “Most of us have difficult moments in our lives and we all have different mechanisms for dealing with them. Some of us like to talk to our friends, some of us find peace in reading. Personally, I like to go for a long walk with my dogs.
“I really hope the video we’ve recorded brings some hope to individuals who may be experiencing a dark time right now and that it will also encourage others to think of the mechanisms they can use in their own lives to help keep those negative feelings away.”
