Darlington players are today taking part in a campaign to support this month’s World Suicide Prevention Day.

IF U CARE SHARE, the Chester-le-Street-based mental health and suicide prevention charity, holds its annual INSIDE OUT campaign in September to coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day.

Players and officials will be wearing the charity’s t-shirts - and encouraging supporters to wear an item of clothing ‘inside out’ to back the campaign.

World Suicide Prevention Day is held on September 10 and the If U Care Share Inside Out campaign is aimed at encouraging people from across the UK to go Inside Out and start conversations and save lives by asking people across the UK to simply wear an item of clothing inside out for the day. 

The idea is to encourage them to get their feelings out in the open and start conversations which might save lives.

You may have seen one of several billboards across the region promoting ‘Inside Out’.

And also this week 11 locations across the North East will back the Inside Out campaign by lighting up in the If U Care Share green. Several places across Sunderland city centre and the surrounding area will be lit up. 

The list includes Millennium Bridge, Newcastle Civic Centre, Bishop Auckland Market Place, Lumley Castle, Northern Spire Bridge, Penshaw Monument, Fulwell Mill, Silksworth Pit Wheel, Hylton Castle, Cliffe Park Lighthouse and Keel Square.

If U Care Share founder Matthew Smith said;“Since the inception of our Inside Out Campaign in 2015, we have reached communities across the country with this lifesaving message. 

“We are extremely grateful to receive support from across the North East and look forward to seeing the region lit up to support this life-changing movement.

“With pressures like the cost of living crisis impacting individuals and families, it is more important than ever to encourage people close to us to talk about their feelings and access the support that is available.

“Feeling helpless, worthless or hopeless are common feelings associated with feeling suicidal and often those thoughts can be overwhelming and prevent you from feeling anything else.”

If U Care Share was established in 2006 by the family of Daniel O’Hare from Lumley, near Chester-le-Street who took his own life unexpectedly at the age of 19 a year earlier. 

His younger brothers Matthew and Ben, along with cousin Sarah set up the foundation with Daniel’s mother Shirley because they wanted to do something positive and prevent another family suffering a similar experience, as well as creating a lasting memory to Daniel. Last month Shirley was awarded an MBE for her services to suicide prevention and mental health support.

The family started selling wristbands at football clubs featuring the message if u care share and raised over £50,000 for mental health charities. In 2011, If U Care Share Foundation became a registered charity with three main aims: Prevention, intervention & support of those bereaved by suicide. 

Since then the charity has provided support to those who have lost loved ones to suicide, as well as help and advice to those who are at risk of taking their own life. 

And their team of advisers have been delivering workshops on mental health education and suicide prevention in schools, Premier League, English Football League and Women’s Super League clubs and businesses and community organisations across the UK to promote positive mental health. 

The North East still has the highest rate of suicide among men under the age of 50. Six men every week take their own lives. 

It is estimated that this has a direct impact on 182 people, including members of that person’s family, friends, work colleagues, responders and health professionals, etc. In total it means at least. People are affected by suicide in the region every week.