The Baton of Hope is the UK’s largest suicide prevention initiative and the world’s first physical icon of mental health. It arrives in Norwich on Wednesday 17 September and comes to MensCraft at 14:00.
The statistics around suicide are stark and shocking:
- 700,000 deaths by suicide globally every year (Source: WHO)
- 14 million suicide attempts globally every year (Source: WHO)
- ~6,000 deaths by suicide in the UK every year (Source: ONS)
- Suicide is the leading cause of death in all people under the age of 35 and men under 50 in the UK (Source: ONS)
- Around 75% of people who take their own lives in the UK are men (Source: ONS)
- Suicide rates in the UK haven’t changed significantly in 20 years (Source: ONS)
Founded in 2022 by two bereaved fathers reaching out in their grief, the Baton of Hope has a simple mission: to bring about change and inspire hope through action. Following the success of its first tour in 2023, the Baton of Hope is once again travelling across the UK and is visiting Norwich on Wednesday 17 September.
The Norwich leg of the Baton of Hope tour starts at Norfolk Showground and ends at Carrow Road
We are honoured that MensCraft has been chosen as one of the stops on the tour, acknowledging the importance of our services in giving hope to men and those around them.
Ed Roberts, Contact Service Manager at MensCraft, said:
“The tragedy of suicide is that every person who takes their own life must feel that there is no hope; that things cannot or will not get better. Giving men hope – something to live for – is a big part of what we aspire to here at MensCraft. It’s a thread that runs through all our work, but especially The Contact Service, our programme that supports men at the edge of crisis.
“Last year, we supported over 500 men at risk of suicide, many of them going on to engage with our one-to-one therapeutic service and Pit Stops – the drop-in activity sessions we now run in 13 locations across Norfolk. There they find belonging, a sense of purpose and hope – which is why we’ve produced 1,000 postcards asking our members the question: What does hope look like? We’ll be displaying their messages of hope in our space on the day of the event and inviting visitors to add theirs, creating a Wall of Hope.”
The MensCraft Dojo – our event space next to the Maddermarket Theatre in St. John’s Alley, Norwich – will be open to the public 10:00 – 16:00 on the day of the event. The Baton of Hope will arrive around 14:00 and leave around 15:00. Come along and find out more about what we do and add your message of hope to our wall.
At the end of the day, we can’t say it better than the team at the Baton of Hope do:
“There is hope. If more people talk openly about mental health and suicide, spot the signs, ask the right questions, and listen without judgement, we can make a difference.”
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