Click here to download our resource: Who we are
Audio Version – Please click on the section of the leaflet you would like to listen to.
Who We Are:
Our Beliefs and Values:
Our Origins:
Our Work:
HOPELINE247 Details:
Text only copy (To translate document please select language options at the top of the webpage)
Who We Are
PAPYRUS is the national charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide.
What We Know
Suicide is the biggest killer of young people – male and female – under 35 in the UK. Every year many
thousands more attempt or contemplate suicide, harm themselves or suffer alone, afraid to speak
openly about how they are feeling.
Our Vision
Our vision is for a society which speaks openly about suicide and has the resources to help young people who may have suicidal thoughts.
Our Mission
We exist to reduce the number of young people who take their own lives by shattering the stigma
around suicide and equipping young people and their communities with the skills to recognise and
respond to suicidal behaviour.
Our Beliefs and Values– Beliefs That Guide Our Thinking
PREVENTION: Many young suicides are preventable.
PASSION: Those who are touched personally by a young suicide have a unique contribution to make to our work.
HOPE: No young person should have to suffer alone with thoughts or feelings of hopelessness and nobody should have to go through the heartbreak of losing a young person to suicide.
LEARNING: There are always lessons to be learned from listening to young people at risk of suicide, those who give them support and those who have lost a young person to suicide.
Our Origins
PAPYRUS was founded in 1997 by a mother, Jean Kerr, from Lancashire following the loss of her son to suicide. PAPYRUS was initially set up as the Parents’ Association for the Prevention of Young Suicide, hence the name PAPYRUS. Since 1997, PAPYRUS has continued to listen to and learn from the experiences of those personally touched by young suicide. Today, PAPYRUS works in many ways to prevent young suicide.
PAPYRUS has been a long-standing member of the government advisory groups in England and Wales on suicide prevention matters. We are active members of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group in England and of the National Advisory Group on Suicide Prevention and Self-harm reduction in Wales. Other national bodies that we contribute to are the National Suicide Prevention Alliance and the National Police Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group.
Our Work
SUPPORT: We provide confidential support and advice to young people struggling with thoughts of suicide, and anyone worried about a young person through our helpline, HOPELINE247.
EQUIP: We engage communities and volunteers in suicide prevention projects and deliver training programmes to individuals and groups. This includes equipping local councils, healthcare professionals and school staff with suicide prevention skills.
INFLUENCE: We aim to shape national social policy and make a significant contribution to the local and regional implementation of national suicide prevention strategies wherever we can. Our campaigning comes from our passion as individuals, parents, families and communities who have been touched personally by young suicide. We press for change in many places using hard-hitting and dynamic campaigns as well as presenting evidence to those in power so that lessons can be learned and learning implemented to help save young lives. For full details of our ongoing campaigns including information sharing, standard of proof and media reporting, please visit www.papyrus-uk.org.
Contact Us
GENERAL ENQUIRIES
For general enquiries contact PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide Head Office:
Call: 01925 572 444
Postal Address: 28-32 Milner Street, Warrington, Cheshire, WA5 1AD
Email: admin@papyrus-uk.org
TRAINING ENQUIRIES
For training enquiries contact our Training team:
Call: 01925 572 444
Email: training@papyrus-uk.org
FUNDRAISING:
As a charity, we rely heavily on donations. Support from fundraisers really helps to make a difference and ensures we continue to deliver and improve on our existing services. For more information on fundraising, or to access a fundraising toolkit, contact our Fundraising Team:
Call: 01925 572 444
Email: fundraising@papyrus-uk.org
Registered Charity Number 1070896
PRESS OFFICE:
We proactively encourage and monitor responsible reporting of suicide, working with journalists,
programme researchers and planners. For media enquiries, contact our Press Office:
Call: 020 8943 5343 or 07799 863 321.
Email: pressoffice@papyrus-uk.org
If you are having thoughts of suicide or are concerned for a young person who might be you can contact HOPELINE247 for confidential support and practical advice.
HOPELINE247
Call: 0800 068 4141
Text: 07860 039 967
Email: pat@papyrus-uk.org
Our Suicide Prevention Advisers are ready to support you.
