Beverley from the SAGES team recently attended the World Suicide Prevention event at Kesgrave Community Centre on 10th September 2025, here she lets us know how she found the event.
I found this event very insightful. It made me realise that suicide is everyone’s business and that everyone can help save someone else’s life. The theme ‘Changing the Narrative on Suicide’ challenged the stigma and silence that can prevent people from seeking help and support.
It was interesting hearing from those brave young people who got up and spoke about their suicide ideation. The fact of the matter is that they really did not want to stop living. They wanted to start living, a better life, not the one that they were currently living in. They were just crying out for someone to listen without judgment and offer some help and support. Once this young people felt listened to, they felt less isolated and more empowered to make change for themselves. The stories and how far they had come were incredible. All because someone showed that they cared and listened.
The section on safety planning was useful. We can all help and support someone to make a safety plan to manage a mental health crisis. It was suggested that we may like to start with ourselves; thinking of coping strategies that may help distract us from our problems until we feel stronger to be able to cope, making a list of trusted friends and family and when and how to contact them and reminders of the reasons to live. It does not have to be big; but it must help stop that feeling of being so overwhelmed that all we can do is think negatively, when really all we need is time. Making a safety plan is a simple and effective proactive toolkit to empower someone to take control and work towards a more positive outcome.
The message I believe is that everyone can make a safety plan because everyone is susceptible to poor mental ill health. I will take this forward into my work with Family Carers.
The presentation from Sue Willgoss was very insightful into the struggles of those who are neurodivergent. Sue spoke eloquently and from the heart. It was wonderful that she ended on a positive note by showing the slides of her three other sons and their successes. All three are neurodivergent.
Claire and I were also able to network with other organisations, which is always beneficial.
Our Mental Health and Wellbeing team are here to support family carers who are supporting someone with mental health difficulties, they offer short-term 1:1 support as well as group peer support sessions. The SAGES team are part of a partnership with other organisations across Suffolk dedicated to supporting mental wellbeing in Suffolk.
