One man walking - a million talking
Issued by Highland Community Planning Partnership
Walking the 1200 mile length of Great Britain in 2022 for suicide prevention and postvention.
In 2019, John Gibson's son, Cameron, took his own life without warning. John is now walking from Land’s End to John O 'Groats in an effort to get the country talking about suicide. He is seeking to help reduce stigma and encourage people to talk and seek appropriate help and support if they find themselves experiencing mental distress or thoughts of suicide.
Representatives of the Highland Community Planning Partnership and its Highland Suicide Prevention sub-group, along with local support groups such as James’ Support Group, Clarity Walk and Mikeysline, are meeting with John at the Townhouse in Inverness on Saturday 20 August at 08:30 to show their support for John and to highlight some of the suicide prevention work being delivered locally. John’s next stop will be in Alness on Saturday night.
Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Committee Chair, Cllr David Fraser said: “John Gibson’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, and we fully support his campaign. Only by working together can we combat the stigma associated with suicide and encourage the conversations that can help prevent it.”
Highland Suicide Prevention Group Chair, Superintendent Jenn Valentine said: “As a group we recognise that every person lost to suicide is a tragedy, for their loved ones, their colleagues, and society as a whole. Research suggests that open and honest communication about mental ill-health helps towards suicide prevention. Conversations have the power to increase awareness and understanding, remind people they are not alone and help break the stigma which can be a barrier for those seeking help."
Here are the details of his story.
United To Prevent Suicide - John's Story
“It’s really important that we pull together as a country, as a community…to ensure that we stop the carnage of suicide”.
https://unitedtopreventsuicide.org.uk/
Highland Mental Wellbeing – A collection of resources to support mental wellbeing (scot.nhs.uk)