Council united behind campaign to end sucides

LISBURN councillors have united to sign a petition urging action to try and prevent further suicides in the Colin area after three young men took their lives in one week recently, to bring the total number of suicides in the area to ten in the past five months.

Young people in the area have banded together to seek help and have started a petition which was brought to Lisburn Council by Councillor Charlene O'Hara at the Monthly meeting.

Ms O'Hara said the week before she had attended three separate funerals after three young men took their own lives. She said there was "sheer panic" amongst young people and parents in the community.

Community workers have been on the ground 24 hours a day as they bid to pursuade young people that help is always there.

In their petition the young people said: "Within five months seven people have taken their own lives in our community, please help us bring this issue to the forefront. Please sign this petition to address this issue within our community. We don't want another life lost to suicide."

Ms O'Hara said: "The last thing you want to hear is another life lost and to have three in such a short space of time is devastating. We feel every loss, everybody mourns it. The questions we are asking now is, how do you fight back? How do you stop young people feeling they have nowhere to turn?"

Ms O'Hara said community groups in the area have been working hard to prevent further young people from taking their own lives, joining forces to put a network of support together for those in the area.

She added: "We have lobbied the Ministers for Health and Education and they both support our endeavours, we have crisis teams going into schools where we will have counsellors available to speak to young people. We also need to look at what happens in six months when everything settles down, will the resources be available then? What we need is a longer term strategy."

The situation has led the Colin Neighbourhood Partnership to launch a suicide prevention booklet, 'Colin Lives - Too Precious to Lose' which contains information on suicide prevention services available.

Speaking at the Council meeting, Lisburn Mayor Paul Porter, said his thoughts were with the families and offered to do anything possible to help, whilst Councillor Andrew Ewing said that it was "tragic" to hear of so many young people taking their lives and Councillor Margaret Tolerton said she was "saddened and distressed" by the news.

Ms O'Hara concluded: "I would appeal to anybody, regardless of age, gender or belief, if you are feeling low, if you don't feel like you have any support, ask for help. Do not suffer in silence; suicide and mental health is not something you can see, it's not something you can put a plaster on and make it better; you need to open up so you can get help."

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