In her latest column, Councillor Nadine Peatfield looks forward to the Baton of Hope tour reaching Derby tomorrow, and how it's starting the conversation about suicide awareness:

As Leader of Derby City Council I have the pleasure of meeting people from all walks of life, and tomorrow, Saturday 13 September, I’ll be joining a group of people for whom I have immense respect as The Baton of Hope UK comes to our city.

If you’ve not heard of the Baton of Hope, you’re not alone. The organisation was founded by two fathers, Mike McCarthy and Steve Phillip, who reached out to each other on social media for support after both losing their sons to suicide. Despite their immense grief the men were determined to create hope for others in the same situation as their sons.

The Baton of Hope made its first tour in 2023, and became the UK’s biggest suicide prevention campaign. And now it’s back for 2025, taking in 20 destinations and reaching every corner of the UK, from West Lothian in Scotland, to Newry in Northern Ireland, and Torbay in Devon and Kent. Tomorrow it reaches Derby and Derbyshire.

Local people in Derby and Derbyshire who have been affected or bereaved by suicide worked hard to bring the tour here, with the support from the city and county’s Public Health teams, who work hard to raise awareness and support those affected by suicide. In Derby, mental health and suicide prevention are vital to our city health and wellbeing strategy.  Currently in the UK, suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 and women under 35, and the ripple effect is huge. Each person who dies by suicide can affect up to around 136 people.

Years ago, no one talked about their mental health, and suicide was a huge taboo, making the pain of bereavement even harder to bear. Now we talk about it more openly which is great progress, but it can still be hard to reach out for help. We can all play our part in supporting each other, from simply checking in on each other and asking if someone’s OK. If they’re not, help is out there, and there’s a link taking you to details of organisations that can help at the end of this column. 

The baton itself is beautiful. It was created by Thomas Lyte, who also created the FA Cup. The design represents a journey of hope, moving upwards from the darkness of despair and, with encouragement and support, discovering a way into the light and a brighter future.

Starting from Elvaston Castle and finishing in Cathedral Green, it will be carried by baton bearers who will be remembering loved ones who have died from suicide, or who have been suicide survivors themselves, offering a message of hope.

I’ll have the privilege of carrying the baton along Osmaston Road from outside Alstom to Ascot Drive. I’ve invited young BMX riders from Ozzy Wheels and young people from Derby Marine Training Corps (based in Osmaston) to accompany me, because I believe it’s important for local young people to take part to raise awareness of this issue, and to encourage them to support each other.

The tour in Derbyshire starts from Elvaston Castle at 7:15am, where a procession of motorbikes will take the baton to the University of Derby. As the baton is carried through the city, there are events happening to promote mental wellbeing.

Highlights include a family fun day at Darley Park, where everyone can try out yoga, and an art exhibition at Derby Market Hall. The baton’s tour of Derby is expected to finish at around 6:30pm at Cathedral Green.

The full itinerary can be found on the Derby and Derbyshire Baton of Hope website.

There’s no doubt about it, life can feel really tough sometimes. But I want to echo Mike and Steve’s message that there’s always hope. 

If you need to talk to someone, or if you’ve been affected by suicide bereavement, find out more about organisations who can help at the Derby and Derbyshire emotional health and wellbeing website.