World suicide Prevention Day is on 10th September every year, the theme this year is "working together to prevent suicide". At Central London Samaritans we work tirelessly to reduce death by suicide and this includes working with other organisations, going out into the community and delivering wellbeing programmes to many organisations to promote taking care of each other. Your donation will support us in these aims and help us reach as many people as possible who are struggling.
WHO estimates that 800,000 people around the globe take their life each year. Here in the UK statistics, just published by the ONS, report an increase in suicides recorded in 2019 with men aged between 45-49 at the highest risk. There were 5691 deaths in England and Wales - 11 deaths per 100,000 of population. 3/4 of these were men and suicides amongst females under 25 is at it's highest level. Every life lost represents someone's partner, child, parent, friend or colleague, and is devastating.
CLS already works with suicide prevention groups in Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea and the City of London, we want to expand our participation to other boroughs. We are working with businesses to support their staff and help them look after each other. We go into Colleges, Universities and Schools as well as supporting prisoners and working with the rail network. We need funds to develop these programs especially in the new Covid world where we need to be creative in our communications.
By reaching out to our community we are able to engage with a wide range of different people from all ethnicities and backgrounds to raise awareness of our service. We train people in the prison service and the railways to approach suicidal people and talk to them as we would. With our corporate wellbeing program we are helping people look out for each other and not be afraid to ask the simple questions "Are you OK", "How are you really?". Working together enables fewer people to die by suicide.
