NHS Greater Manchester is marking this year’s Month of Hope, and the fifth year of its Shining a Light on Suicide campaign, with a special event at the People’s History Museum.
The event will be an opportunity to acknowledge the progress made to help people have open and supportive conversations about suicide, as well as share what more can be done to save lives with the development of the new Greater Manchester Suicide Prevention Strategy.
The Greater Manchester (GM) Month of Hope runs annually, starting on 10th September, to coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day, and ending on World Mental Health Day, 10th October. The aim is to raise awareness of suicide, by encouraging everyone in Greater Manchester to have open conversations about and play a role in preventing suicide, while inspiring hope across the city-region. It is part of the award-winning Shining a Light on Suicide campaign.
Now in its fifth year, the Shining a Light on Suicide campaign has made great strides to bring the issue of suicide out of the dark and break the stigma that surrounds it. The campaign has won several awards, including Healthcare Campaign of the Year at the CIPR North West PRide Awards in 2021.
A key part of the campaign has been the Stories of Hope. People across Greater Manchester, from all walks of life, sharing their experience of suicide, to encourage others to open up and give hope during difficult times. To mark the fifth anniversary of the campaign, some of those who have shared their Story of Hope will be speaking at the event in October:
- Danny Scunthorpe, is a former professional rugby player from Oldham, who struggled with suicidal thoughts after he became injured and his rugby career ended. He now gives talks to schools, prisons, football and rugby clubs and on construction sites on the importance of opening up and talking when you are struggling.
- Sam Samuel, who lives in Oldham, was brought back from the brink of suicide after admitting to others how he was truly feeling – now he’s living a happier, more fulfilled life using his own experiences to help other men to open up and find the support they need.
- Andrea Newton, felt at rock bottom after a difficult divorce and intended to end her life to end the pain she was in. Reaching out to the Samaritans gave her the hope and support she needed.
All those who shared their Stories of Hope shared how important it was to talk with someone they trusted about how they were feeling. That’s why the Shining a Light on Suicide campaign promotes the Zero Suicide Alliance free online training that helps people feel more confident about spotting the signs and asking if someone is thinking of suicide, with nearly 9,000 (8,963) people completing the training the last year (July 2023–July 2024).
NHS Greater Manchester recently expanded this training offer, commissioning life-saving online training to support those who are concerned that an autistic person they know may be at risk of suicide. Autistic people are at an increased risk of suicide for a variety of reasons. The aim of this training is to give people the confidence and skills to talk to an autistic person they believe may be thinking of suicide.
Judd Skelton, Strategic Commissioning Lead for Suicide Prevention & Bereavement Support for NHS Greater Manchester, said: “This year’s theme for World Suicide Prevention Day is Changing the Narrative on Suicide. That is what we have strived to do since we launched the Shining a Light on Suicide campaign five years ago.
“The campaign has made great progress in reducing the stigma around suicide and breaking the silence that can often lead to people not getting the support they need, with the number of people taking the online suicide prevention training exceeding expectations. However, there is much more we need to do.
“We are developing the new Greater Manchester Suicide Prevention Strategy, which will detail how we plan to reduce suicide rates over the next five years, improvements we will make to the support available to those who are bereaved by suicide and, increase support to those who have self-harmed.
“It can be difficult to know how to support someone who you think might be feeling suicidal, but you don’t have to be a professional to help someone who is thinking of suicide. The best thing to do is ask directly and be ready to listen. If you haven’t already, I would encourage people to take just 20 minutes out of their day to complete the life-saving training.”
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “NHS Greater Manchester’s Shining a Light on Suicide campaign is incredibly important and does vital work for our residents. It is important that we are always doing all that we can to prevent suicides and to break the taboo around suicide by having these most difficult conversations.
“Even small actions can have such a big impact and if the event for this year’s campaign can help just one person open up and feel supported then it is a success. I hope this campaign highlights that help is always available and I look forward to seeing the many powerful stories this event will show.”
