'Suicide prevention baton made me feel less alone'

Samantha Southern from Blackpool carried the baton after losing her husband Glen to suicide

A woman who lost her husband to suicide has said carrying a symbolic baton representing mental wellbeing helped her to feel less isolated.

Samantha Southern, from Blackpool, who took part in the Baton of Hope tour in 2023, said it was the first time in years she had not felt alone and the event had brought her "connection".

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.

The 2025 tour begins in Blackpool in September.

Mike McCarthy, bottom left, co-founded the Baton of Hope charity after the death of his 31-year-old son Ross

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.

Mike McCarthy, co-founder of The Baton Of Hope, said: "The idea is that people who have been bereaved by suicide or survived a suicide attempt find some comfort by being involved."

Mike McCarthy (right) with BBC reporter Paul O'Gorman

Suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 50 in the UK, according to the Samaritans.

Mr McCarthy said he believed a change in strategy was needed.

"Suicide is preventable, he said. "Whatever we have been doing over the last twenty years hasn't worked."

He said he was motivated to start the charity after his son Ross took his own life.

"He wrote a long goodbye letter and one of the things that he said in that letter was please fight for mental health, the support is just not there," he said.

"If he could look down and see what we are trying to do in his name, and the name of all of the people we have lost to suicide, I'm sure he would think 'I'm proud of what you are trying to do'."

The campaign is being supported by the Blackpool-based Empowerment Charity, where Ms Southern is the Solace Suicide Prevention and Bereavement Manager.

Her husband Glen died in 2020 and she walked with the baton during the Baton of Hope tour in 2023.

"It was the first time in two-to-three years that I hadn't felt as alone," she said.

"Being with a community of people who just understood and got me. I think it brings connection."

Blackpool Councillor Jo Farrell, said: "It is an honour for Blackpool to host the launch of the Baton of Hope 2025 tour.

"This powerful movement shines a vital light on suicide awareness and reminds us that behind every statistic is a real person."

The 2025 tour sets off from the Village Hotel in Blackpool on Monday 1 September at 08.00 BST.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line.