A Wirral-based suicide prevention and support charity reveals that it helped a record number of people since the first lockdown began last March.
And it went on to prevent more than 1,500 deaths.
The Martin Gallier Project – which is the only suicide intervention, prevention and postvention service in the North West of England – was set up by founder and CEO Jesccia Gallier back in 2019 in memory of her 55-year-old father who took his own life in 2017.
The charity provides crisis support through immediate suicide interventions with no barriers to access or waiting lists, which thus reduces the need for clinical interventions and hospital admissions, and also aims to support family members bereaved by suicide – who are then at higher risk of suicide themselves – by providing an initial assessment to ensure the individual is not in suicidal crisis, as well as providing Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and a variety of skills-based workshops for individuals and groups.
But sadly, the charity says the number of those they have helped has more than tripled in past year.
ADVERTISEMENT
This has seen them unfortunately struggle to meet demand.
Speaking to ITV Granada, Jessica Gallier said: “We’ve really struggled to keep up with the numbers of people we’re seeing without creating a waiting list, and the last thing we ever want to do is have a waiting list for somebody that is considering suicide.”
ADVERTISEMENT
In order to aid in continuing to provide such vital help however, the charity has welcomed a National Lottery Grant of almost a quarter of a million pounds, which will enable it to expand its much-needed services and provide support for people like Penny – not her real name – who was planning on taking her own life in the weeks before Christmas.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJeOHVLDmRH/
Penny said: “I feel incredibly grateful, I can’t put into words how grateful I am because the way I feel about my life is completely different. The way I feel about my future is completely different – I have a future now and I’ve got things to look forward to,
“And I’ve never felt like that for as long as I can remember.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The grant means the centre has been able to open a new space for group work, activities and suicide intervention training.
“It’s not slowing down, it’s getting more, and those numbers are going up so quickly that there isn’t that time to stop and reflect on how many people we’re supporting,” Jessica added.
“If I even stop and do the calculations of 1,500 people since the end of February it just shows how important it is that we’re here, and how important it is that we’re here during this pandemic and how important it is that we’ve stayed open as well.”
You can find out more about The Martin Gallier Project via its website here, and you can also show your support on its social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
You can also text MGP to 70450 to donate £5.
ADVERTISEMENT
___
If you or anyone you know may be struggling right now, please know that you are never alone and there are many different places you can reach out to for support right here in Greater Manchester.
Suffering in silence never need be the way.
Manchester Mind – An organisation that has supported people in Manchester for over 30 years. Most services are now available over the phone, by email or video call. The number is 0161 769 5732 and the opening hours are Mon – Fri 10am – 2pm.
The GM Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust – The local NHS helpline is open 24/7 which you can call any time, day or night, if you feel your mental health is beginning to suffer: 0800 953 0285.
Andy’s Man Club – A group dedicated to starting conversations about mental health, assuring people that it’s ok to talk. You can contact them by email on: [email protected].
CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably supports people via phone and webchat. You can call 0800 58 58 58 or speak to a support worker online. Open 5pm to midnight.
Samaritans – The Manchester & Salford Samaritans offer emotional support by telephone and email. The phone lines and email support are available 24/7. Call 116 123 or visit the website.
Trending
The cheapest Christmas Markets in the world for mulled wine have been revealed
Daisy Jackson
The most affordable Christmas Markets for drinking mulled wine have been revealed – and Manchester is nowhere in sight.
With Christmas markets across Europe preparing to welcome millions of visitors, festive fans looking to enjoy a warming cup of glühwein without breaking the bank might want to take note of the latest findings.
Festive experts at Christmas Tree World have analysed mulled wine prices at Christmas markets around the world to discover where visitors can enjoy the seasonal favourite for less.
Topping the rankings is Brussels’ Winter Wonders, where mulled wine is available for as little as £2.14 – about a third of the price of a mulled wine at the Manchester Christmas Markets.
Cologne Cathedral Christmas Markets and Strasbourg’s Christkindelsmärik share second place, with starting prices of just £2.56.
Other European favourites also feature prominently in the rankings. Budapest’s Christmas Market at the Basilica takes fourth place, with mulled wine costing £3.19, while Prague’s Old Town Square Christmas Market comes in sixth at £3.55.
Germany makes another strong appearance, with Dresden’s Striezelmarkt and Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt (which handily just launched new direct flights from Manchester) both offering mulled wine for £3.85.
Meanwhile, Vienna’s Christmas World rounds off the European entries in ninth place, with prices starting at £4.28.
For those planning a festive adventure further afield, Tokyo’s Christmas Market also makes the top five, with mulled wine costing £3.22.
However, not every destination offers such a bargain. Across the Atlantic, New York City’s Winter Village takes the title of the most expensive market in the study, with mulled wine costing a rather less festive £11.74. Chicago’s Christkindlmarket isn’t far behind, charging £8.80.
Manchester Christmas Markets start on Friday 6 November – we’ll see how our prices stack up then.
Sir Ian McKellen pays emotional tribute to long-time friend and fellow northern actor Sir Patrick Stewart
Emily Sergeant
Sir Ian McKellen has paid an emotional tribute to his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Patrick Stewart, following his death.
Sir Patrick Stewart – who was born and bred in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, and is best-known for his theatre work alongside an illustrious 60-year screen career, taking on prominent roles in franchises such as Star Trek and X-Men – sadly passed away at the age of 86, with his death being announced publicly yesterday evening (29 October).
And now, his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Ian McKellen, has paid tribute.
Sir Patrick and Sir Ian shared the stage together countless times over their decades-long careers, but also famously starred alongside each other in the X-Men franchise, and subsequent Marvel movies, as Charles Xavier/Professor X and Magneto.
The tribute, shared across Sir Ian’s social media platforms, reads: “Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.
“We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren’t in the same productions.
“My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in ‘Star Trek’. “But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”
“Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did, for not just his devoted Trekkies, but film and theatre audiences who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes (‘X-Men’ of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway.
“America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin.
“But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire.”
Emily Sergeant -
11th January 2021 
