Turn Blue Monday into Brew Monday

East Riding of Yorkshire Council is backing a national campaign to get together today with loved ones, friends and colleagues to talk about our problems over a cuppa and turn ‘Blue Monday’ into ‘Brew Monday.’

Today is traditionally the lowest day of the year, but the Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA) is aiming to address this by encouraging everyone to take time out of their day and talk about their troubles over a cuppa.

It’s the fifth year of the Big Brew campaign, almost 200 organisations across the country will be holding events to try and get everyone talking so those that need help can access it and make positive steps towards recovery.

A spokesperson from East Riding of Yorkshire Council said: “We know that talking and asking for help is always the hardest step for those that need it for their mental health and wellbeing and we’re delighted to be part of the ‘Brew Monday’ campaign.

“We hope that by encouraging our colleagues and partners to get involved we can contribute to helping those that need help accessing services and play our part in helping to break down the stigma associated with mental illness.”

“For too long, mental health and suicide has been a taboo subject that was avoided in conversation but campaigns like ‘Brew Monday’ can help bring it to the forefront so we can really address the growing suicide problem in the UK.”

Over 6,500 suicides were recorded across the UK in 2018 with every one having a major impact both emotionally and socially on friends, relatives, work colleagues and the local economy.

The ZSA has also developed free online suicide prevention training, using the expertise of clinicians and the experience of those who have lived through suicide and uses real life scenarios to provide the skills to approach those in trouble.

Over 420,000 people have accessed the training since its launch in November 2017 and the Government have pledged to provide £2 million over the next two years to help the ZSA improve suicide prevention in the UK through awareness, training and the development of an innovative digital suicide prevention resource and exploration of cutting edge analytics to predict risk.

For further information contact: Myles Hodgson, Media Manager, Zero Suicide Alliance, on 0151 473 2797/07794 059031 or media@zerosuicidealliance.com