Northamptonshire pubs and bars urged to back campaign help raise awareness of suicide this Christmas

Wellingborough based suicide and mental health prevention charity, We Mind & Kelly Matters will be launching their beer mat campaign at the start of December, with the hope of spreading suicide awareness this Christmas, all the while offering lifelines to those who may need them.

Sherry Adams, CEO of the charity explained: ‘Why do we always say, ‘don’t bottle it up’? To put it simply, it’s because talking helps. Sharing our troubles with others has been shown to reduce feelings of distress, reduce feelings of loneliness, help us to problem solve and so much more. All whilst helping us to understand and separate our thoughts.

‘Not everyone will understand or be helpful, so it is important to surround yourself with people that you are comfortable with and when we talk about these things, we also open the door for others to do so and mental health conversations can happen anywhere, including the pub.’

Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that in 2021, 13 people took their own life each day in the UK and devastatingly, the suicide rate in Northamptonshire in 2021 was higher than that across the East Midlands as a whole, with 60 people taking their own life.

The campaign will see six different types of beer mats, as well as posters, each with a tailored message and a representative visual. The back of each beer mat features a QR code that directs people to a webpage that provides details of how to access the charities free services, including a self-referral page.

Sherry explained: “We took the idea and made it happen because it’s important to break the stigma and to get people to talk and reach out. Campaigns such as this, shine a light on the importance of looking out for your friends and family and asking if they are alright, especially over the festive season, which can be hard for some. Next time you raise a glass, just remember, it might be worth raising the question as well.’

For more information and support, please visit: www.wemindandkellymatters.org.uk