Suicide campaign group
Community needed to help new suicide campaign group
Distressing suicide rates in Rossendale have led to a call for volunteers to join a campaign to raise awareness.
Rossendale SOS - Stamp On Suicide – is a new community group in the Valley.
Pat Smith, community development worker at Bacup-based charity REAL, said: “We are looking to form a group in the community. This will include people from statutory bodies, like the health service, council and other agencies, but more importantly we need to get local people on board to take the message out there to those who will be most able to help and spot the signs.
“We have already been provided with useful statistics from a group set up by the primary care trust which helped to raise awareness of the high incidence of suicide in Rossendale.
“Now we need to take that information to the grass roots community, so hopefully more people will be aware of the signs to spot and what assistance is out there.”
In 2008, Rossendale had 16 deaths, 14 men and two women, which were attributed to suicide or undetermined death. Eleven of the men died from hanging.
This led to the CALM, an initiative targeting young men struggling with the pressures of life, being extended into Rossendale and CALM and council neighbourhood health workers are carrying out ongoing work in colleges.
Parents who had experienced suicide also set up a group on social networking site Facebook to provide support to young people.
Pat said: “There is a lot of good work being carried out but we believe the way forward is to set up a community group to properly co-ordinate activities and REAL will help to get the group started.
“We are looking at ways to increase awareness through training and posters and we will also need to look at fund-raising and have discussed holding a large event to raise the profile and encourage people to work together to help each other.
“Anyone who feels they have something to offer the group, whether they have been personally affected by suicide or can help in raising awareness, can contact me on 01706 871730 or email pat.smith@realtd.co.uk”
For more information contact Pat Smith on 01706 871730.