At night the benches are a beacon of hope

We are raising money through JustGiving to help local families avoid the tragedy of suicide, following the death by suicide of Ben Brimley. The idea is the brainchild of ex-Spurs footballer Mickey Hazard, who set up Legend on a Bench after the suicide of his nephew. They install Suicide Prevention benches in public places and there are already over 100 benches in the UK but none in Gloucestershire yet. The benches have a QR code and discreet printed information on the bench directs users to support groups and helplines.

Ben always loved Rodborough Common, and did go for solitary walks there whilst he was wrestling with his mental health, so that’s where I’d prefer to site the bench. Read Ben’s story here.

In the UK almost 6,000 people die by suicide every year, and this total has remained similar since 1981*, so more needs to be done to reduce it. Males are about 3 times more likely than females to die by suicide. Suicide was the leading cause of death for ages 5-35 in 2022, and we know that about 1 in 5 under 25’s had a probable mental health condition in 2023** so young people need our support. Helping people before they reach crisis point is important. It can happen to any family. Our research into ADHD and suicide found a study of 2 million health records showing that ADHD people are 3x as likely to actually die by suicide and Autistica give even higher ratio for Autistic people on their website.

* Office for National Statistics ** YoungMinds website