2012 to 2016 Calderdale has a suicide rate greater than Leeds or Huddersfield. Each and everyone of us are likely throughout our lives to have been faced with great sadness, great difficulties (financial, emotional or otherwise) getting past these life troubles can be extremely difficult and for many, the inner strength to find a way through becomes too difficult and leads to a place where there is no turning back!

With a continued rise in mental health issues and depression more and more people become insular, isolated, segregated and desolate. Many of the issues that arise from a poor state of mind can start as stress, mild depression, grief, bullying, cyber bulling, self harm, clinical depression, PTSD, drug use, homelessness, racial hatred or gender issues; To be honest the list is endless and if you are reading this you will be hard pushed to say there isn't or hasn't been someone in your life affected by one if not more of the above.

For most, these life issues can be identified and addressed with a good support network of family and friends and both health and social services. But quite a few don't speak out and their desperation will go unnoticed and, for the families that are left behind, they live with the torment of wishing more could have been done.

The Darkknight charity will hopefully run alongside and support incredible charities such as The Samaritans and the great work they do. Darkknights is a local charity and as such will tackle local issues in the awareness and prevention of suicides in Calderdale. This will include identifying areas where suicide victims ultimately take their own lives and, by identifying these places, Darkknights will campaign and raise funds in order to Increase vigilance and technology of key locations in the hope to prevent any further suicides.

Here is a scenario... a for instance; A destitute person wishing to take their own life might find themselves on a dark night, in a dark place, on a poorly lit and very high bridge in a remote area. This could be headed off by better lighting or better technology systems in place, such as cameras or sensors to raise an alert which may in turn stop that person, and ultimately give them another day ....and we have all been there where a new day can bring about a different set of circumstances, different options, hope, a friend to talk to. Getting past that dark night is crucial to surviving. Having more technology, more preventative measures in place (such as steel structures to stop anyone being able to climb onto the railings or walls) may deter or prevent the suicide. One of the charities aims is to liaise and work alongside the council, in order to help other charities and purchase hardware (signs, railings and cameras etc) in order to prevent suicide.

My mission is for this charity to be the knight on their dark path in the hope that they can see a new day.

Please, please give generously. I will be putting myself through purgatory over the next few years to build this charity and raise money for the same.

I am going to start a blog as I embark on getting the charity up and running. Anyone wanting to watch the progress please let me know and I will send you a link. And thank you already for landing on this page and reading this. We are already making progress by highlighting some of the issues that can lead to self destruction. If you know of anyone with depression or just going through a rough time, pick up the phone. send a text (include a heart) say "hey, what you up to"? get them talking, don't leave it because you don't hear back... send one every day until you do ❤