Londonderry suicide prevention service begins

The suicide prevention service will run as a pilot for one year

A crisis intervention service for people at risk of suicide has been opened in Londonderry.

The pilot programme will be in place for a year and will be operated by the charity Extern NI.

In October 2018, it was reported that Northern Ireland had the highest suicide rate in the UK.

Since the Good Friday peace agreement in 1998, more people have died from suicide in Northern Ireland than were killed in violence during the Troubles.

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The new service in Derry will be a mental health "safe space", according to the charity.

It will operate from the Holywell building on Bishop Street between 20:00 GMT on Thursdays to 08:00 on Sundays, when other services in the city are closed.

Danny Bryce, a project manager with Extern NI, told BBC Radio Foyle: "This is a de-escalation service that will compliment all the hard work being done by the likes of the police and Foyle Search and Rescue.

"Our service means people can be referred to us when they need to turn somewhere.

"We have employed eight people to deal with the problem and we've had four cases in so far."

The service has been funded by Derry City and Strabane District Council and other partners.

Where to get help

If you live in Northern Ireland, you can call Lifeline, a 24-hour helpline on 0808 808 8000.

You can also contact the Samaritans on 116 123 in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

There is also a list of organisations that may be able to help at bbc.co.uk/actionline.