'Baton of Hope' tour 2025 is making it's way to Norfolk
This Olympics-style torch relay will arrive in the county on September the 17th, as part of a UK-wide tour
A scheme aiming to raise awareness about the devasting impacts of suicide is making it's way to Norfolk from today
'The Baton of Hope' will arrive in Norfolk on September the 17th- and travel from the county's showground to Norwich's Carrow Road
This Olympics-style torch relay was founded in 2023 and is concluding this journey on October the 10th, in London
The national tour gets underway in Blackpool, today.
Note: This article features discussion about suicide, and has links to support at the end
"Suicide is preventable," Baton of Hope co-founder Mike McCarthy tells us "but how are we ever going to deal with this if we're not talking about it?"
Mike, a former TV broadcaster, knows only too well of the devastation suicide can bring. He lost his son Ross at the age of 31.
LISTEN: What is the Baton of Hope? - Mental Health Monday Podcast
Four years on, he's speaking to us while carrying a physical representation of the hope he wants to bring to others who find themselves facing dark thoughts and difficult times.
Where is the Baton of Hope heading?
This 'Baton of Hope' is about to embark on an Olympics-style relay across the UK, and will be carried by hundreds of people who themselves have lost loved ones.
It will eventually arrive in London for World Mental Health Day on October 10th.
Mike said: "What we're trying to do is by carrying this physical symbol of mental wellbeing around the United Kingdom is a) smash the stigma and b) normalise the conversation because people do not go asking for help if they've not recognised the magnitude of the problem.
"When I found out that suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 it shocked me to the core.
"But we've all got the power within us to generate hope. No one is immune from suicide and its everyone's business.
READ: 'It's something I can do for my dad' - the children carrying hope after a parent's suicide
Mike says the country is moving in the right direction when it comes to looking after mental health - but is concerned that the sheer scale of deaths is still not on the radar of enough people - young and old: "Surely children who are leaving school now ought to know that the biggest threat to their own lives is not cancer or Covid or road accidents, it's themselves.
"They are the biggest threats to their own lives."
A person dies by suicide in the UK every 90 minutes. Mike hopes that by spreading hope via the tour people will understand they do have a better option: "There are armies of people who care for you and want you to stay, and they want you to recognise that you're not alone."
Who is carrying the Baton of Hope?
Listen to Keeley and Eloise's story here
Getting support talking about suicide
There will be a series of legs held across the country, with people carrying the Baton across each area in relay.
Some will run, others will walk or apply creative ways of getting the Baton from a to b.
If you've been impacted by the issue of suicide you can get more information about the Baton of Hope on their website.
If you're looking for support services near you, then you can find them across the UK using the Hub of Hope
Hear more about the Baton of Hope, including from co-founder Mike McCarthy on the Mental Health Monday Podcast