A Cumbrian charity’s first suicide prevention conference has been hailed a success.
Every Life Matters hosted the conference at Rheged, near Penrith, earlier this month.
192 people attended the day to learn more about suicide prevention, self-harm and suicide bereavement.
The key messages of the day were “Be Kind, Be Brave and Give Hope” and “Take Action. Prevent Suicide”.
People were encouraged to start conversations to help break down the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health and importantly, to take action to prevent suicide within both their work places and communities.
The conference was opened by Kate Bainbridge, co-founder of Every Life Matters and Cumbria Woman of the Year 2024.
Kate was followed by a film of the brave and inspiring Every Life Matters Young People Team who then spoke to delegates of their lived experience of bereavement by suicide and their own suicidal thoughts and self-harm.
They urged people to take action and to help break the stigma and to create a society where suicide is openly spoken about.
They were followed by information and statistics from Colin Cox and Katrina Stephens, public health leads for Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness councils, and an outline of the Cumbria Suicide Prevention Strategy.
Every Life Matters co-founders Juliet Gray and Chris Wood talked about why Suicide is Everyone’s Business – reminding people that everyone has a role to play in creating a society where suicide is openly talked about, where people feel able to seek help when all feels lost, and are properly supported when they do reach out.
Chris said: “It was a privilege to be able to speak to a room full of motivated and caring people who will all go away with the tools and passion to make a difference within their workplaces and communities.
“To start the day with our brave and amazing young people really set the scene that we need to act now for future generations (and our own) to live and thrive in a society where suicide is openly spoken about and help is never far away. The day was a success thanks to the collaboration of speakers and organisations alongside the amazing team at Every Life Matters.”
Workshops, led by the Every Life Matters Training team with input from external experts were varied such as Creating Suicide Safer Schools and Postvention in the Workplace: Responding to an Employee Suicide to Neurodiversity Safety Planning and Supporting Suicide Bereaved Children and Young People.
Alongside the wide range of workshops, the conference was attended by people from a mixture of workplaces, creating a unique shared learning experience.
The charity is aiming to make the conference an annual event.
If you or anyone you know are experiencing thoughts of suicide and need support, don’t hesitate to contact Samaritans on 116 123 or any of the organisations in the Every Life Matters Support Directory here.
