A new documentary highlighting the UK’s largest suicide prevention initiative will premiere in Sheffield this month, as campaigners call for urgent action on mental health support.
‘Raising the Baton: A Manifesto for Hope’ will be screened at the Millennium Gallery on Thursday 17th April, followed by a panel discussion with campaigners from the Baton of Hope UK charity.
Mike McCarthy, is the chair of Baton of Hope UK and lost his 31-year-old son Ross to suicide in 2021.
He said: “When your son’s dying wish is for you to campaign for change, you do everything you can to honour him.”
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), suicide is the leading cause of death for men under 50 and women under 35.
The film follows the first Baton of Hope tour in 2023, which travelled through 12 cities in 12 days before ending at 10 Downing Street.
The baton was carried, like an Olympic torch, by individuals who had lost loved ones and people who had survived suicide attempts.
Mike added: “There are no lessons in classrooms, no major political debates, and barely any media coverage on this crisis. We need to break the silence.”
Campaigners are calling for a ‘zero-suicide society’ by ensuring mental health services are accessible and that discussions around suicide prevention become normalised.
The documentary’s release comes as pressure mounts on the government to improve early intervention, crisis services, and mental health education across the UK.
Debbi Marlow, carried the baton in 2023 after her brother, Drew, died by suicide the previous year.
She said: “Sheffield Wednesday’s ground was the centre of my brother’s universe. Carrying the baton at Hillsborough felt incredibly special. When it was handed to me, it felt like everyone who carried it shared a connection through that one symbol. That connection brought me hope.”
Studies show people bereaved by suicide are 62% more likely to die by suicide than if their loved one had died by natural causes.
Following the success of the first tour, plans are already in place for an even bigger event in 2025, with Baton of Hope working to expand its reach across the UK.
All proceeds from the documentary premiere will go towards suicide prevention awareness.
To buy tickets for the event, visit here.