Alstom UK & Ireland has announced its support for the Baton of Hope charity and its drive to create the biggest suicide awareness and prevention campaign in the UK.
Alstom is supporting the Baton of Hope’s UK tour, which starts on Sunday 25 June 2023 in Glasgow and ends on Thursday 6 July in London. The Baton will be carried across the UK by a number of volunteers, all of whom have been affected by suicide.
The Alstom Community Project Fund has made a donation to Baton of Hope, and staff across Alstom’s offices and sites will have the opportunity to volunteer to help deliver the campaign.
The Baton of Hope charity was founded by Mike McCarthy and Steve Phillip who made contact following the deaths of their sons, Ross and Jordan, to suicide. The charity aims to raise awareness and provide support to individuals who may be struggling with their mental health and at risk of suicide. The charity aims to encourage the UK Government and public institutions to take on more ambitious initiatives on suicide prevention.
The UK loses 17 people every day to suicide. It is the biggest killer of men under the age of 35, even though women make an attempt at suicide more frequently than men. Estimates from a 2019 research project suggest that around 135 people every day are touched by suicide. Across the UK that means 3,000 people a year are impacted in some way, and this number ignores the many others who are impacted by an individual making an attempt to die by suicide.
Nick Crossfield, managing director of Alstom UK & Ireland said, “Alstom is proud to be supporting the planning and delivery of the biggest suicide awareness and prevention initiative the UK has ever seen – Baton of Hope – through the Alstom Community Project Fund. Opening up the conversation about suicide in our professional and personal networks and wider communities is key to helping remove the stigma around mental health – and being able to direct people to the right help early on.’
For more information please visit www.batonofhopeuk.org.
Image credit: istockphoto.com / Alstom
