Loved ones honoured on Suicide Prevention Day

When tragedy struck Steve Taylor's NHS team, it left a mark he'll never forget.

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The former care coordinator and occupational therapist at Leeds and Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust's team worked closely with people struggling with self-harm and suicidal thoughts.

But in 2021, they faced the devastating reality of losing a colleague to suicide - someone he describes as “a rock”.

The experience left shockwaves of grief in a team already carrying the weight of others’ struggles and showed them, more than ever, that suicide can touch anyone, even those working hardest to prevent it.

Now with the Baton of Hope arriving in Leeds tomorrow (Wednesday) to mark World Suicide Prevention Day, Steve is determined to honour the memory of his colleague.

He said: “Our team worked daily in a clinical setting with people struggling with self-harm and suicidal thoughts and a wide range of mental health conditions across Leeds. So losing a colleague in that way was something I never expected.