A member of staff at a legal firm with offices in Croydon has organised a sponsored walk called “Dawn Of Hope” to raise money and awareness for Grassroots Suicide Prevention, and in memory of all those lost to suicide and to support others battling with mental health.
More than 6,000 people commit suicide across the British Isles each year. “This leaves their families with unanswered questions, guilt, and little understanding of where things went wrong,” O’Shea says.
Of her own mother’s death, O’Shea says, “It happened with no warning — or at least we weren’t aware of any of the signs that she would do this. Living in rural Ireland, we had no access to services dedicated to mental health, no education at school on this topic and it certainly wasn’t ever discussed among friends and family.”
Only one-third of people who commit suicide have sought mental health services in the year before their death. This is usually due to a lack of services available to them and the fact mental health is still a “taboo” subject.
“Dawn of Hope” will start close to dawn on September 13, at Brighton Pier at 6am.
“We will walk along the beach towards Rockwater in Hove for breakfast at 7am,” O’Shea explains.
Rachael Swann, the chief exec of Grassroots Suicide Prevention, will be there to talk about the importance of their work and how donations help them provide valuable education and support in the community.
Local businesses and individuals can also donate to a JustGiving page to raise funds for Grassroots Suicide Prevention.
Martin Searle Solicitors is a campaigning and award-winning law firm providing specialist legal advice and support in employment law and community care law, with offices in Brighton and Croydon.
Walking for a cause: the Martin Searle Solicitors’ team, who are hoping many others will join them on their walk from Brighton Pier on Sep 13
Each October, the firm stages a Disability Matters campaign. The “Dawn of Hope” sponsored walk is being included as part of that campaign this year. Cases of depression and anxiety in the workplace are on the increase. Employers often fail to appreciate they have duties to consider making reasonable adjustments for employees with these types of disabilities.
Details about Disability Matters 2024 are here.
Fiona Martin, director and head of employment law at Martin Searle Solicitors, says, “We are delighted to support Amy in raising money and awareness for the vital work that Grassroots Suicide Prevention carry out. We believe actions speak louder than words and it is important to support causes that are important to both our staff and clients.”
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