A total of 13 organisations across Cornwall have been given up to £25,000 each to help prevent suicides in our communities.

Each of the organisations has developed a project that aims to help a broad range of people including young men, those who identify as LGBTQ+, women going through the menopause and homeless people.

The money was made available from NHS England and has been distributed by Cornwall Council’s Public Health team and NHS Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

It comes after the first round of funding saw 12 organisations receive up to £10,000 each, enabling them to provide a range of support to many people across our communities.

One example of who that money has helped is the father of a nine-year-old boy who had been left grief-stricken and struggling to cope after his wife suddenly died.

Both he and his son received support to help each other through their grief.

Another example was a young man who was the victim of domestic abuse and had begun experiencing dangerous thoughts.

An outdoor project saw him bond with other men, dramatically improving both his mental and physical health.

Paula Chappell, Public Health Practitioner and suicide prevention lead in Cornwall’s Public Health team, said: "We are delighted to be able to offer funding to these 13 excellent projects, all of which will help us in our mission to bring the number of suicides in our communities down to zero.

"Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has one of the highest self-harm and suicide rates in the country so initiatives like these are vital if we want to identify and help people in crisis."

"Each death by suicide is estimated to affect over 100 people on average, which means suicide prevention is everyone's business.

"We must all work together to ensure support is embedded in our communities, workplaces and educational settings."

Cllr Dr Andy Virr, Portfolio Holder for Adults and Public Health, said: "Every life lost to suicide has devastating consequences for families, friends and communities so it is incredibly important to ensure people have access to support, whoever they are and whatever their background.

"Every one of these projects will help save lives and it’s great to see such a diverse range of organisations benefitting from the funding."

Projects funded this year are:

  • A Band of Brothers Cornwall
  • CHAOS Group Cornwall
  • Cornish Acorn CIC
  • Cornwall Mind
  • Cornwall Neighbourhoods for Change Tree of Life Project
  • Cornwall Pride Reaching Rural Communities
  • Dracaena Centre
  • First Light South West
  • Hayle Youth Project (HYP) Emotional Resilience, Sharma Project and LGBTQ+ groups
  • iCareiMove - Menopause Muse
  • MASA Men Against Sexual Abuse
  • St Petrocs - St Petrocs' Freshfield Service
  • Young People Cornwall - YPTP – young people transition project.

If you are worried about your own or someone else’s mental health call the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 24/7 NHS mental health response line on 0800 038 5300.

It's free to access by anyone, any age, any time, day or night.