How pompoms and compassion are hoping to prevent suicide

Loo Fletcher said compassion is at the heart of her sunflower suicide prevention project

Sunflower pompoms with compassionate notes attached are being left in parks, bars and university campuses to remind vulnerable people they are not alone.

Loo Fletcher, 25, came up with the idea after experiencing a breakdown while at law school in Bristol in 2018.

The mental health worker now runs workshops where people make the pompoms and can talk openly about their own mental health struggles.

The initiative is supported by Shine On a campaign working to prevent suicide.

At the workshops where the pompoms are made, people can talk to others about their fears and hear they are not alone

Shine On is funded by the Bristol Independent Mental Health Network.

"We're a 'communitea' - a community set up over a cup of tea to equip others with the tools they need for healthier minds," she said.

More than 200 people have signed up to make the pompoms.

"I've been in that place and compassion is such a powerful thing," said Ms Fletcher.

"The aim is to make people feel they are not alone and remind them that people care especially during the darkest of times."

The pompoms are then left in places such as railway stations, night clubs and bus stops across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

They are also left in student campuses including UWE, the University of Bristol and Weston College.

Messages tied to the pompoms include positive phrases such as "You are loved and strong".

On the back are details of a private Facebook group for people to connect with others in similar circumstances.

"These conversations that happen alongside crafting are invaluable in helping people feel that they are not alone," said Ms Fletcher.