Project Speak Aiming to Save Lives Across Cwm Taf Morgannwg

This National Safeguarding Week, Cwm Taf Morgannwg Mind (CTM Mind) is launching a brand-new project that will aim to prevent suicide and save lives across Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Bridgend.

Project Speak is a £353,734 funded investment by the Big Lottery Community Fund that will see CTM Mind deliver suicide prevention training, awareness raising campaigns and postvention support over the next three years.

The training will aim to raise awareness and understanding of suicide, spotting the signs in a person who is having thoughts of suicide and looking at a range of intervention skills including asking the question, preparing a safety plan and signposting the person to other support.

The programme will also focus on a range of suicide awareness campaigns, which will entail  giving talks and presentations to groups of people, raising awareness and understanding of suicide via social media and working closely with the community. This element of the programme will evolve as the programme develops over time.

The postvention service will facilitate access to support to individuals and families that have been bereaved by suicide, providing counselling to those who need it.

The Project follows on the back of CTM Mind’s awareness raising campaign #ItTakesBallsToTalk, which has been working across the Cwm Taf region since 2018, targeting men under the age of 50, encouraging them to talk and seek out support for their mental health problems. #ITakesBallsToTalk will now become a part of Project Speak and continue to target Wales’ most at risk group – men under the age of 50. Project Speak will also raise awareness within other at-risk groups e.g. young women and older people as well as work with the community as a whole to raise awareness and work together on suicide prevention.

CTM Mind’ Director Julian John comments:

“I am delighted that the Big Lottery Community Fund has invested in this much needed project.  We know that people die by suicide across Wales and within our communities, our view is that suicide is preventable and not inevitable and therefore we are now well placed to help prevent suicide and save lives.  We will be building on our #ItTakesBallsToTalk suicide prevention campaign, leading on awareness, providing training across the community and offering families a bereavement service whereby they can talk about how suicide has effected them in a safe and confidential space.”

For more information about Project Speak, please contact the Project Coordinator Shian Neale on O7495525656 or email shian.neale@ctmmind.org.uk