I have been lucky enough to be selected to be a Baton Bearer for the Baton of Hope UK Tour 2025, which is the biggest suicide prevention initiative that the UK has ever seen. The Baton of Hope UK are part of a growing movement aspiring to a zero-suicide society, and will simply not tolerate more than 6,000 suicide deaths per year in the UK as per the latest figures released by the office for national statistics.

The opportunity to become a baton bearer for the Baton of Hope UK is something that is of huge significance to me personally, and I believe it is only right for me to take the time in this space to open up a little about my own experience with mental health and suicide. I want to help to encourage others to break the stigma of talking about suicide and to reach out and ask for support, to ultimately prevent suicide.

Throughout my adult life I have struggled my mental health to varying degrees. These struggles have sadly led me to attempt to end my own life on two occasions. During these times I became increasingly withdrawn from the loved ones in my life, and crucially I stopped talking about my thoughts and how I was feeling. Which is why it is so crucial we encourage people to talk about suicide.

The pain that I felt at that time and the pain I brought to those aound me is not something I ever wish for anybody to have to go through. This is why I am so proud to be a part of the Baton of Hope Tour 2025.

I hope you can join me in raising awareness and helping to prevent suicide.

Thank you for your support and for taking the time to read this.