Suicide Prevention Bristol can't afford Clean Air Zone…

Suicide Prevention Bristol can't afford Clean Air Zone entry unless they can raise funds

A charity set up to provide emergency assistance and patrols to stop people taking their own lives has set up a fundraiser to help pay for the costs its team will face due to the Clean Air Zone. Suicide Prevention Bristol are a team of volunteers who respond to emergency call-outs and patrol the areas known to be high risk locations for vulnerable people.

But the charity’s founder said they will be left with ‘no choice but to refuse some call-outs’ because of the costs of the Clean Air Zone, as both of the charity’s two 4x4 vehicles are liable to pay the £9 a day charge. It is now hoping to raise enough money to cover the cost of entering the Clean Air Zone every day for a year.

The fundraiser on the website GoFundMe has set a target of £6,046. Founder Michael Everitt said charities don’t get exemptions from the Clean Air Zone, which starts next Monday, November 28.

“The current costs for two vehicles to enter the Clean Air Zone will be £18 per day, £126 a week, £504 a month or £6,046 yearly. We are raising money to help us pay the ongoing fees to ensure we can get to every call,” he said.

“Unfortunately, charities do not fall under any of the exemptions for the Clean Air Zone and we’re unable to find any other way to cover the cost,” he added. “Sadly, without being able to cover this cost, we will be left with no choice but to refuse some call-outs in the city centre due to the costs.

"We currently find most of our call-outs are to high risk locations in and around the city centre.” Mr Everitt has also launched a petition on the council's website urging council chiefs to allow exemptions for charities who will be hit hard by the CAZ charges.

Suicide Prevention Bristol was formed in August 2018 in response to the rising suicide rate at both a local and national level. In the run-up to lockdown and since, the Bristol team has been filled with around 25 volunteers, who patrol areas known to be at high-risk to vulnerable people, and also to respond to call-outs where people are in danger.

In September 2020, Suicide Prevention Bristol partnered with the St George-based Clarus Motor Park to help with long-term funding, with the dealership offering to service the charity's two 4x4s at its Clevedon service centre. At the time, the charity said it has helped to prevent more than 150 suicides in the 12 months before September 2020.

Speaking when the partnership was announced, Michael Everitt said: "Throughout lockdown, our services have been in demand more than ever, so to know we have our running costs covered and have the support of a likeminded, community-focused business is incredibly valuable.

“With their help and support, we can really focus on the task at hand of raising awareness and preventing suicides across Bristol. We have big plans for the coming year and we look forward to working with Clarus MotorPark to complete those.”

Clarus MotorPark partnership with Suicide Prevention Bristol (Clarus MotorPark)

Now, two years on, the Clean Air Zone will add another potential cost of up to £500 a month, and they say they can't meet that cost so will have to decline some call-outs or emergency responses if they can't raise the funds. The Clean Air Zone begins on November 28 and covers a wide area from Brunel Way in the Cumberland Basin, along the Floating Harbour and both sides of the River Avon as far east as Temple Meads and Newfoundland Way at the bottom of the M32.

Drivers with vehicles that are liable for the charge are being given a six-week grace period where they will be given an offer to pay the charge rather than be fined straight away, but after the second week of January, drivers who don’t pay the charge will be fined £100 for each day they drive in to the zone.

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