Four members of staff from Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) will be taking part in the Baton of Hope, the UK’s largest suicide prevention initiative, later this month.
The Baton of Hope Tour is taking in 20 locations across the country between September 1 and October 10, 2025 and will travel through Norwich on Wednesday 17 September. The event aims to encourage conversation about suicide and promote mental health awareness.
The four team members from NSFT each have a personal connection to suicide and hope their involvement will encourage conversation about suicide and promote mental health awareness.
Who are the baton bearers?
Becca Gilmore, a Trainee Psychiatrist:
Becca is in her second year of core psychiatry training at NSFT. She lost her brother Tom, a philosophy student, to suicide in 2022 while she was in her final year of medical school. She hopes the Baton of Hope will help to break the silence around suicide.
Becca said: “My brother took his own life when he was 22 and that’s why I’m doing psychiatry, essentially because of him.
“He was so amazing, so creative – he loved Lego, he was incredibly intelligent, and just so witty. No other person was like him.
“Conversation about death or, in particular suicide, are often not had in our society. Just having a day where it’s expected – and it’s fine – is so powerful.
“I also think it’s important that as someone who’s training to be a psychiatrist and has been affected by suicide, I use my position to challenge stigma and show that these conversations matter.”
Ian Orr, Family Liaison Officer (FLO):
Ian works as a Family Liaison Officer at NSFT and has previously held positions as a Clinical Support Worker and Charge Nurse. He is also a Qualified Systemic Practitioner, helping support bereaved families and carers through the investigation process that follows a serious incident relating to their loved one.
Ian said: “I chose to apply to be a baton bearer because it links so closely with the work we’re doing supporting families, including those affected by suicide.
“I’ve also had my own rock-bottom moments too – back in 2008 I made an attempt on my own life. Thankfully I came out of that dark place mentally and have turned things around.
“Using my own lived experience, I’m just wanting to do what I can to support people. I’m in a privileged position of advocating for families so we can get them the answers they need.
“If you see a change in your friend’s behaviour, be brave enough to have that conversation with them.
“You won’t make things worse or put ideas into their head. What you might do is give them the courage to open up, and that can make all the difference.”
Kirk Wilson, Family Liaison Officer (FLO):
Kirk joined NSFT after he retired from Norfolk Constabulary. He works alongside Ian Orr and has supported dozens of families through the most difficult of times. In January this year, he was personally bereaved when his best friend Chris took his own life.
Kirk said: “He was the funniest man I’ve ever met, he was one of my best friends for over 40 years.
“There are eight of us mates, and now there are seven. We went to school together, to gigs together, to each other’s weddings. He leaves a massive hole in our lives.”
He says the loss has made his work even more personal: “I understand my families a lot more now. Although I wish it hadn’t happened, it’s made me a better FLO. I have a better understanding of their confusion, anger and questions than I did.
“Carrying the baton is for Chris, for his family, and for every family I’ve supported. I’ll have a photo of him printed on the back of my T-shirt on the day.”
Jade Morley, Storm Training Coordinator:
Jade has worked at NSFT for ten years and took on her current role in December 2023, helping to roll out suicide and self-harm prevention training across the Trust. Her motivation to apply for the Baton of Hope stems from the loss of her grandfather, Bob, who took his own life ten years ago.
Jade said: “He was absolutely brilliant. I always joke about how there’s too much duct tape in the world now because he’s not buying it all to do his botch DIY jobs.
“It opened my eyes, because I had this stereotype that suicide only affected young people. Losing him showed me it can happen to anyone.
“We’ve got to stop being afraid of the word ‘suicide’. We need to change our attitudes towards the language we use. Asking someone if they’re thinking about committing suicide won’t plant the idea in their mind – it will help them realise we want to help.”
Find out more about the Baton of Hope here.
