The Baton of Hope – designed to be the biggest suicide awareness and prevention initiative in the UK – travelled through Birmingham on Monday, July 3, starting at Alexander Stadium before journeying throughout the city, including via Birmingham LGBT+.
At the Birmingham LGBT Centre, there was a focus on mental health in the LGBTQ+ community, with speeches from Dr Justin Verney, Director of Public Health, and Steph Keeble, director of the Birmingham LGBT Centre. There were also contributions from local groups who use the centre, and a drag performance from Kathy O’Connor aka Valentin Velle. The Baton of Hope acknowledged and paid “tribute to the work of Birmingham LGBTQ+ Centre and other LGBTQ+ charities for mental health in the city and the region,” explained Baton of Hope’s Martin Schleicher, “As an openly gay man, the aim was to balance information about a very sensitive subject with some light-hearted performances.
“The feedback from Birmingham was positive throughout especially about the capturing the diversity that Birmingham is known for. Through the support from the authorities and many other organisations and individuals it was possible to bring the topic of mental health and suicide prevention closer to the general public. The baton bearers were all directly affected by suicide either through bereavement or by being survivors themselves which added to a very special atmosphere of solidarity and togetherness.”
The Baton’s tour of Birmingham and its legs across 11 other cities will be the basis of an upcoming Netflix documentary. While no release date can yet be confirmed, the documentary will cover the idea from its creation to the tour across the UK, with the aim of continuing the vital conversations opened about mental health and suicide.
“The stigma around suicide and mental health struggles is still very prevalent,” Martin Schleicher explains, “however help is out there and can be accessed by everyone. The Baton of Hope UK is aiming at highlighting the professional help available. On a personal level, change comes through action.
“We hope we have paved a path to reduce the stigma of talking about feelings, worries, help and generally just keeping the conversation going. It is important to check in with friends, family, neighbours or other individuals in one’s life and ask how they really feel and it is OK to talk about it.”
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