Brighton and Hove Albion footballer Solly March is due to join the national “Baton of Hope” campaign – a suicide prevention initiative – tomorrow (Wednesday 5 July).
The campaign consists of a tour of 12 cities across the country, with the torch being carried by notable personalities, leaders and people with their own inspiring stories of hope.
The organisers said that the Baton of Hope would be marked by a packed events schedule giving local communities, organisations and neighbouring towns a chance to get involved.
Tomorrow, for example, the Baton of Hope tour is due to visit the Bevy where an event is scheduled to start at 3pm.
Solly March is expected to carry the Baton of Hope around the North Laine area of Brighton between 5.45pm and 6.15pm tomorrow, accompanied by his best friend Harry Clarke.
The midfielder will briefly visit local businesses who are sponsoring the Brighton leg – the Lavender Rooms, Gresham Blake, Bird and Blend Tea Co, Simon Webster Hair and the Chilli Pickle.
At 6.15pm the Baton of Hope is due to return to the Brighton Dome to meet another sponsor, 8fold Governance at the stage door, before heading inside, ready for a 7pm performance of An Evening of Hope.
As part of the show, Solly March and Harry Clarke will share their story about suicide.
In a pre-recorded segment, they will speak about losing Harry’s older brother Adam to suicide 12 years ago. Solly said that Adam had been like a big brother to him.
The Baton of Hope initiative, which aims to start overdue conversations about suicide and prompt action, came about after a similar loss.
It was started by Mike McCarthy after his 31-year-old son Ross died in February 2021 after having suffered with depression for a decade.
He left a a heartfelt request that his family campaign for better mental health support – and Mike is committed to honouring Ross’s final wish.
The initiative’s vision is to “create a society where suicide and suicide prevention are openly and widely discussed, where we inspire hope through action, where people are suitably supported and where everyone plays their part in realising this vision”.
Brighton will be the second to last leg of the two-week 12-stop tour which ends in London, at Downing Street, on Thursday.
For more information about the Baton of Hope in Brighton, click here, and for more information about the national tour, click here.
I walked alongside them with for a few minutes today as they walked through my area in solidarity. One of the gentlemen told me their story about how mental health services had saved his life through the work they did, and how he had gotten up at 4am this morning to be a part of this march.
We must always work hard to create an environment where we can facilitate compassionate conversations to create an acceptance where it is okay to need help. We all need it at some point in our lives.
For me, I took an important message away from those few minutes. I was reminded to endeavor to be kind to those I meet, be it friend or stranger.