Turning the tide on suicide awareness
We are calling on Cornish swimmers to don their swimming caps for this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day on Saturday 10 September.
Members of the public are being invited to take part in the event at the Jubilee Pool in Penzance to help raise awareness and break down the stigma connected to suicide. The first 66 swimmers will be supplied with a swimming cap which will represent each of the lives lost to suicide in Cornwall every year.
“We want this to be an opportunity for people to connect and hopefully stimulate important conversations about what continues to be a much-stigmatised area of mental health. It impacts upon thousands of lives each year in Cornwall and it’s vitally important that we talk openly about suicide and suicide prevention." Hannah Lapham, Joint Lead for Suicide Prevention.
Tickets for the ‘Turning the Tide on Suicide’ swim event are free but limited and must be booked in advance. Book tickets on the Jubilee Pool website.
The Jubilee Pool is the UK’s largest art deco seawater lido and geothermally heated pool.
Hannah added: “We are hoping to bring together people from our community who are passionate about preventing suicide or who are interested in learning more about how we can all help people at risk of taking their own lives. Lots of work is being done in Cornwall with various partner organisations, including the council and healthcare providers, employers, benefit support agencies, the voluntary sector, drug and alcohol services and social services, to try help address the issue of higher-than-average rates of suicide in our county,
One of the many myths we would like to disappear is that asking someone if they are having suicidal thoughts increases the likelihood of them following through. This is inaccurate. In fact, studies have shown that people are less likely to make an attempt on their life if they have the chance to talk to someone about their thoughts and feelings.”
On average, 66 people die each year because of suicide in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The suicide rate for the county is higher than both the south west and national average.
The swim, which has been made free of charge by the Jubilee Pool, takes place on World Suicide Prevention Day (Saturday 10 September, 8am to 9am). For more information, email the Suicide Prevention Team.