A North East charity has received its biggest grant to date in order to help “turn the tide” in the region’s struggle with suicide.
The Headlight Project was launched by Catherine Devereux after her husband Russ took his own life in 2018. The award-winning charity provides therapy and counselling for those impacted by a suicide, alongside preventative education.
Now the Stockton-based organisation has received a £25,000 grant from Postcode Neighbourhood Trust, thanks to funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
According to the Headlight Project’s new CEO, Anne Cullum, the funding will benefit people across the Tees Valley during their hour of need.
“This is our biggest single grant to date, and we are incredibly grateful for the support of the Postcode Neighbourhood Trust,” said Anne.
“The grant will help the Headlight Project to continue providing essential services, which are vital for many people in the wake of an unimaginable personal tragedy.
“As well as providing support to those bereaved by suicide, the grant will allow the Headlight Project to hold more suicide prevention training sessions within the community. These are run by trained counsellors and are designed to equip people in the local area with essential skills to recognise signs of mental distress and engage in conversations around suicide prevention.
“We hope that this grant will play a part in helping to turn the tide when it comes to the North East’s suicide rate, which has been too high for too long.
“Everyone’s feeling the pinch due to the cost-of-living crisis, and charities like the Headlight Project are no different. To keep providing the vital support we do requires significant funding, so this grant – which is our second from the Postcode Neighbourhood Trust – is a huge help.”
That work included a major project last year with Middlesbrough College, in which the Headlight Project staged workshops for around 4,000 students and through preventative training, the charity strived to eliminate myths and stigmas around suicide by providing a platform for them to talk openly about it.
The new award will, in part, help to subsidise that training which was just one of the early-interventions staged by the Headlight Project to try and lower the region’s suicide rate – which has long been the highest in the UK.
Office of National Statistics (ONS) data shows people in the North East are almost twice as likely to end their own lives as someone in London. In 2023, 5,579 people in England died by suicide – an increase on the 12 months prior.
Those who have been bereaved by suicide are welcome to visit HeadlightProject.org in order to access support should they feel they need it. Registration to Headlight Project events or to become a supporter is also available online.
