Mum 'proud' to join hometown suicide baton relay

Karen Strong and Samantha Southern will carry the Baton of Hope though Blackpool

A mother-of-six who was "blindsided" when her husband took his own life has said she is "honoured and extremely proud" to take part in the Baton of Hope tour when it starts in Blackpool.

Organised by the suicide prevention charity, bereaved families are preparing to carry the baton through 20 locations in the UK again in a bid to challenge stigma and campaign for practical change.

Samantha Southern is taking part for the second time along with her sister Charlotte Dawson, in remembrance of her husband Glen who took his own life in 2020.

Ms Southern who works for Blackpool's Empowerment Charity said she was "honoured and extremely proud" to bring the baton to the resort for the first time.

The baton is carried like an Olympic torch, passed from person to person, being held by 100 local people who each have a direct connection to suicide.

Baton-bearers will walk through Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre. They will pass local services that can offer support for mental and physical health.

They will then tour the country, including visiting Leeds, London, Bournemouth and Jersey.

May Cunningham from Bispham will be walking for her daughter Melissa

Ms Southern said: "When suicide swept into my life, it completely blindsided me.

"It detonated like an atomic bomb, leaving me and our six distraught children in the depths of despair.

"I felt the loneliest I have ever been, even with so many people around me. I never wanted another family or person to feel that alone.

"Carrying the Baton in 2023 was an incredible day. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I belonged and that's why I knew we had to bring the Baton to the Fylde Coast."

Also taking part in the Blackpool route is May Cunningham from Bispham who will be walking for her daughter Melissa who was 30 years old when she took her own life in August 2024.

She said she was "so honoured that her brother and I are going to be side by side to help publicise this huge silent killer that is devastating to millions of people".

Bereavement nurses Claire Hickson and Vicki Lang are also taking part

Karen Strong is a local suicide survivor who said she applied to walk in the Baton of Hope "as living proof of hope after coming back from the absolute depths of despair and here I am living life, loving life, volunteering, having fun, enjoying my family and my first grandchild."

She added: "I want to carry it for me because I am proud of how far I have come from how low I was, and I want to carry it for other people to give them hope that it doesn't matter how dark and bleak life can be, you can come back from it and start living again."

Nurses Claire Hickson and Vicki Lang, from the SWAN End of Life Bereavement Service, based at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, are also involved and said it "means a lot" to be asked to take part.

"Anything that reduces the stigma, raises awareness, gets people talking about their feelings and also highlights what support is available for people, can only be a good thing," Ms Hickson said.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC's Action Line.