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Press Release: Announcing Shine On
The Independent Mental Health Network (IMHN), with the support of its branches and partner organisations, are proud to announce the launch of Shine On, a campaign about working together to prevent suicide. The campaign will initially run over the winter period of 2019 to 2020, sparking conversations and opportunities to get involved in suicide prevention initiatives across the local areas of Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
The campaign will feature a range of events and activities exploring the complex topic of suicide, and how we can work together to prevent it. We will be discussing how we can move forward together with effective suicide prevention work, and how we can contribute to the wider conversation about the stigma that still surrounds mental health and suicide generally.
A booklet has also been produced in hard copy and digital format. It will be distributed across the campaign area, giving details of local mental health services and helplines, different lived experience perspectives of suicide prevention, and more information about the series of events.
Tom Renhard, CEO of IMHN, said
We want to bring people together to work more closely on suicide prevention. It is humbling to see how many organisations, community groups and individuals are signing up to get involved.
As someone who has experienced bereavement by suicide, I know how vital this work is and the difference it can make. By working together, we can enable more initiatives to flourish and support a wider regional ambition to reduce the number of people taking their own lives. One life lost is one too many, and there is plenty for us all to do to ensure people know there is support available out there.
Justine, chair of IMHN’s North Somerset Branch (Clarity-NSIMHN), said
Bereavement from suicide is deeply affective, both on an individual level, and as the ripples spread out through any community or network. The gaps left by those dying by suicide never go away.
Locally, Clarity-NSIMHN have roles in suicide prevention work and are collaborating with other partners to identify ways that may reduce deaths by suicide.
As IMHN’s North Somerset branch, we wish to shine a light on suicide and work together to prevent it.
Notes for Editors
What is the Independent Mental Health Network (IMHN)?
IMHN are a member-led organisation that work for and in the interests of people with lived experience of mental health. We support work improving local mental health services, contribute and campaign on mental health matters happening both locally and nationally, and actively challenge mental health stigma by working with partner organisations.
Why is the campaign being run in the Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire area?
In 2017, NHS England allocated an amount of money to address the higher than average suicide rate in the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire area. This fund is managed by the BNSSG Suicide Prevention Transformation Fund Working Group, and funds initiatives such as Second Step’s Hope Project, local campaigning and awareness raising, and more. This Working Group is supporting IMHN in delivering this campaign. You can find out more information here.
When will the campaign run until?
The campaign is ongoing over the winter months of 2019 into 2020. There will be a number of events taking place late November 2019, with activities continuing to run until January 2020.
What is the Suicide Prevention Innovation Fund?
As part of this campaign, £4500 is being distributed via a seed fund for local organisations and individuals to run their own event or initiative that combats suicide and related mental difficulties in some way. We are pleased to announce that a number of successful bids have been already made. You can find out more about the fund and its future here.
Who are the partners of the campaign?
This campaign is supported by the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Suicide Prevention Transformation Working Group. The Working Group is a partnership of local organisations that aim to address the higher-than-average rate of suicide across the local area. The group consists of:
- Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
- Bristol City Council
- Bristol North Somerset & South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (BNSSG CCG)
- Community Access Support Service (CASS)
- Independent Mental Health Network (IMHN)
- North Somerset Council
- Public Health England
- Second Step
- South Gloucestershire Council
- University of Bristol
- University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
Where Can I Get More Information?
- the campaign website can be found at www.shine-on.life
- for further enquiries, please contact Ali at ali[at]imhn.org, or engagement[at]imhn.org
November 6, 2019 at 5:14 pm
IMHN’s Bristol branch is a key partner of the Time to Change Bristol hub. The hub furthers the work of Time to Change, a growing movement of people dedicated to breaking down mental health stigma.
One of Time to Change’s key initiatives is the Employer Pledge. This is a pledge that employers can sign to show commitment to changing the way we all think and act about mental health in the workplace.
Yesterday, on World Mental Health Day 2019, Bank of Ireland signed up to the Time to Change Employer Pledge at its offices at Temple Quay, Bristol, in the presence of employees, members of the Bank’s leadership team, representatives from the Time to Change Bristol hub, and Bristol City Council.
Bank of Ireland join over 1,200 organisations, collectively employing over 2 million people, who have now signed the Time to Change Employer Pledge nationally. The Bank of Ireland also joins a number of other large employers within Bristol who have signed the pledge within the last twelve months, including Bristol City Council and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group.
Read more at the press release published to BIMHN’s website.
October 11, 2019 at 2:58 pm
This news item was originally posted in October 2019. Since then, we are pleased to announce the launch of the Shine On campaign and the completion of a number of initiatives funded by the Suicide Prevention Innovation Fund, with more to come in the coming months. To stay up to date, visit the Shine On website!
Content note; please note that this piece contains discussions of suicide and self-harm.
As part of work taking place in the South West to combat early deaths by suicide, the Bristol branch of the Independent Mental Health Network (BIMHN) is supporting the Suicide Prevention Innovation Fund. This will form part of a suicide prevention campaign later this year, taking place Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
The fund has been launched to support local groups whose work helps to prevent suicide and self-harm across the local area. Events, initiatives and activities in support of this aim can benefit from funding of up to £250 (or £500 if the event takes place across the three areas).
You can read more about the launch of the fund here. Watch out for more updates and information about the upcoming main campaign, coming soon!
More information about BIMHN’s work on Suicide Prevention
This Winter’s campaign, and the Suicide Prevention Innovation Fund discussed here, has been initiated by the Bristol North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (‘BNSSG’) Suicide Prevention Transformation Fund Group. This group has been in operation since May 2018. The group manages an amount of money, allocated by NHS England, to address the issue of a relatively high suicide rate across the local Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP).
The group has already funded campaigning activities and initiatives such as the Hope Project, working to reduce suicide in men.
The Bristol branch of IMHN, BIMHN, sends two representatives to the group meetings, both of whom have lived experience of suicide. Other partners of the group include Bristol City Council, BNSSG Clinical Commissioning Group, Community Access Support Service Bristol, and South Gloucestershire Council.
October 4, 2019 at 12:38 pm