Suicide prevention and postvention awareness raising in Inverness
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A father walking the 1200-mile route from Land’s End to John O’ Groats to help raise awareness on suicide prevention and postvention has been in Inverness.
In 2019, John Gibson's son Cameron took his own life without warning. John, who is from Callander near Stirling, is now walking the length of the country in an effort to get the country talking about suicide.
He met representatives of several local organisations outside Inverness Town House this morning.
He is looking to reduce stigma and encourage people to talk and seek appropriate help and support if they find themselves experiencing mental distress or thoughts of suicide.
- United To Prevent Suicide – John's Story
- Highland Mental Wellbeing – A collection of resources to support mental wellbeing
- Surviving suicidal thoughts
Representatives from the multi-agency Mental Health Delivery Group and Inverness Community Planning Partnership, along with local support groups including James’ Support Group, Clarity Walk and Mikeysline showed their support.
They also wanted to highlight the range of agencies we have in the area who are working tirelessly to prevent suicide and support those people impacted by it.
Jim McCreath, from the Highland Suicide Prevention Group, said: “We fully support this campaign. John’s walk and his efforts at raising awareness about the impact of suicide reflect the work being done across the Highlands by the Community Planning Partnership and other national and local groups.
“Only by working together can we combat the stigma associated with suicide and encourage the conversations that can help prevent it.”
