Local mental health charities, Hull and East Yorkshire Mind and North East Lincolnshire Mind are reminding people about their Together Service – a service to support local people who have been bereaved or affected by a suspected suicide.
The service, which officially launched back in April 2020, is for people of all ages across Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire. It offers free emotional and practical support to individuals who have lost someone to suicide or those who have been affected by suicide.
Funded by the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, Hull and East Yorkshire Mind and North East Lincolnshire Mind offer a range of support such as talking with an experienced bereavement volunteer, peer support groups, creating memory boxes, funeral planning and attending inquests. The support is tailored to meet the needs of each individual at this difficult time in their lives.
Since launching in 2020, almost 500 referrals have been received for those needing support, with referrals coming via individuals themselves, or key partners including Humberside Police, Community Link Workers, Public Health teams and other local mental health organisations.
As part of the support offer, 21 volunteers, most with their own lived experience of bereavement by suicide, actively support the service and use their own experiences to help support others.
Joanne Wilson and Madeline Booth-Robinson, Service Co-ordinators at Hull and East Yorkshire Mind and North East Lincolnshire Mind said:
“A death by suicide, or suspected suicide, is like no other and can lead to an overwhelming amount of different emotion and we know that bereavement can have a huge impact on an individual’s mental health and wellbeing.
Our Together Service provides valuable support at a time when the world can feel very dark and difficult to navigate. Our support is provided by trained volunteers, who understands the challenges that could be faced, allowing time and space to effectively support the individual.
An individual who recently received support from The Together Service said:
“The support received has helped me to learn to live with what’s happened and it’s in some ways a relief to unburden things on to people. I couldn’t and didn’t want to discuss my experiences with anyone else, but Together Service have a lot of compassion and that’s what you need. I’ll never forget this support because it’s the only thing that did help me with how I was feeling.”
Jo Kent, Suicide Prevention Programme Lead at Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership said:
Every death by suicide is both an individual tragedy and a loss to society. By working with our partners at Hull and East Yorkshire and North East Lincolnshire Mind, we can be there for people when they need us most. By working with organisations such as Mind, we can also work together to prevent further suicides from happening in our communities.
If you would like more information, please call Hull and East Yorkshire Mind and North East Lincolnshire Mind on 01482 240133 or email [email protected]. You can also text them on 07520633477.
If you would be interested in volunteering as part of The Together Service, please get in touch with the charities. Volunteers are a much needed part of this service, and volunteers can give as much or as little time as they can.
More information can be found here www.heymind.org.uk/volunteering
