Today, 17 people will take their own life in the UK. Tomorrow, 17 more will. And the day after that, and so on.
It is a startling statistic, and one that campaigners are fighting to turn around. To symbolise that fight, a Baton of Hope tour is making its way around the country — and comes to Manchester in a week (Thursday, June 29).
It’s spearheaded by Mike McCarthy, an ex-BBC presenter, who lost his son Ross to suicide in 2021. Co-founder Steve Phillip experienced his son Jordan taking his life 14 months earlier.
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“I am deeply moved and humbled to be accepting the Baton which will be carried with honour as a symbol of compassion, hope and responsibility,” said Mike. “‘Responsibility’ because everyone of us can play a part in bringing down the UK’s stubbornly high suicide rate which kills more adults under 35 than anything else.
“I hope that people from all backgrounds and walks of life will recognise that the vast majority of suicides are preventable with the right care. We have a huge mountain to climb in breaking the stigma, educating our children about the importance of mental wellbeing and re-calibrating our approach to the societal catastrophe created by suicide.”
For the Manchester leg of the journey, football legends will be supporting the tour — especially fitting that the Baton has been designed by Thomas Lyte, who dreamt up the FA Cup trophy.
In Greater Manchester, the tour will visit Salford Quays, both major football stadia, and Whitworth Art Gallery. For more information about how you can support the Baton of Hope initiative, including for applications to carry the baton, go online.
