PAPYRUS has been busy this year and we feel it’s time, as we approach 2019, to reflect on some of the things that have been achieved this year. All of this has only been made possible by the continued support and hard work of the PAPYRUS family – all of our supporters, volunteers and fundraisers.
Our trustees have worked hard to ensure that we continue to stick to our three aims of Supporting, Equipping and Influencing.
October 2018 saw the biggest HOPEWALK in PAPYRUS’ history. We saw 78 walks taking place, with 1200 participants and an incredible total of £40,510 being raised for suicide prevention.
We saw a breakthrough in our campaign to change the Standard of Proof for a suicide conclusion in a Coroner’s Court. Following a landmark judgment by the High Court in autumn, the Civil Standard of Proof is now being used by coroners to reach a suicide conclusion at inquest. We continue to press the Ministry of Justice for a view on this. This judgment helps us to shatter the stigma around suicide.
Towards the end of the year we secured a base for our Wales office which is set to open in 2019. This is an important step in the growth of PAPYRUS and enables us to do more to fulfil the aims of Talk To Me 2, the national suicide prevention strategy in Wales.
World Suicide Prevention Day 2018 saw us launch the ‘Suicide-Safer Universities’ guide in collaboration with Universities UK. We also released a new, updated version of our ‘Building Suicide-Safer Schools and Colleges’ guide. We are hoping that both guides continue to help put the wellbeing of pupils and students at the centre of education.
We’ve seen a huge increase in volunteer numbers, including the growth of our Champions schemes (Want to get involved? Find out more here).
We’ve continued to see increasing numbers of young people and concerned others contacting our helpline HOPELINEUK and reaching out for life-saving support. Often our callers are frustrated and overwhelmed by lengthening waiting times for longer term support.
Our Trustees have continued to do a fantastic job and have helped to spread awareness of suicide prevention in their communities, and across the UK, particularly through events, talks, interviews and articles.
We are now looking to continue our work into 2019 and share our message with a wider audience. There is much to be done. Although we have seen some progress, we are hearing from more and more young people in distress – supporting them is at the centre of everything we do.
