Stuart Anderson MP launches campaign to tackle suicide in South Shropshire
Stuart Anderson MP has launched a new campaign to help community groups coordinating suicide prevention activity in South Shropshire. Stuart’s campaign has been launched on World Suicide Prevention Awareness Day, an annual event led by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) that seeks to raise awareness of how we can create a world where fewer people die due to suicide. It promotes the singular message that every single suicide can be prevented.
This year, the chosen theme is: “Changing the Narrative on Suicide.” It aims to shine a spotlight on the importance of changing the way in which we speak about suicide. Stuart has first-hand experience of the power of conversation, having previously struggled with his own mental health following life-changing injuries he sustained as a result of his time in the Armed Forces. He has endorsed IASP’s call to action, ‘Start the Conversation.’ It encourages everyone to engage in open and honest discussions about their mental health. It includes people, their loved ones and society as a whole.
Last August, the previous government launched a £10 million Suicide Prevention Grant Fund to support voluntary community and social enterprise organisations in England in meeting the demand for their services to support people experiencing suicidal thoughts or approaching a mental health crisis. In March, it was then announced that 79 organisations had been allocated the funding. These organisations, from local, community-led through to national, are delivering a broad and diverse range of activity that will prevent suicides and save lives.
The Fund is currently closed for any new applications and current funding is due to end in March 2025. Despite this, Stuart has said that more work is needed to tackle the rate of suicide – especially within groups where it is more prevalent in society. This includes the ongoing need to tackle rates of suicides across the agricultural sector in rural farming communities like South Shropshire, which are generally than they are for the general population.
In light of this, Stuart has now called on the government to continue the funding so that more organisations can deliver activities that help sustain their services and engage more people in talking about these issues. He added that this would enable them to meet increased demand for support or to embed preventative activity that can help to prevent suicides and stem the flow into crisis services.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
“Every life lost due to suicide is a tragedy that could have been prevented. It is a tragedy for the person whose life is lost, for their loved ones, and for society. On World Suicide Prevention Day, I endorse the International Association for Suicide Prevention’s call to action – asking us to start the conversation about how we can work together to prevent suicide. I know the power of conversation about mental health, following life-changing injuries sustained during my time in the Armed Forces."
Stuart added:
"There is a parallel story to the physical recovery that highlights a somewhat harder journey. It was not until many years later that I began my full mental recovery, tapping into the valuable resources provided by my support network. While I still find it painful to speak about, I know that my experience can help others and that is what I want to do. It is so important that the new government builds on the work in recent years to prevent suicide and support groups working with vulnerable young people and adults. That’s why I have called on it to continue Suicide Prevention Grant Fund, which is already supporting 79 organisations delivering activities that will prevent suicides and save lives.”
Spending on mental health services increased significantly in the last Parliament, growing by £4.7 billion between 2018/19 and 2023/24. In 2023/24, mental health spending is forecast to make up 9.00% of all recurrent NHS spending.
