Baton of Hope to Cross Start Line

The Baton of Hope, the biggest suicide prevention initiative the UK has ever seen, will visit the TT today.

The charity’s Baton, which acts as a symbol of hope to those suffering as a result of suicide bereavement or personal mental ill health, will be passed to leading rider James Hillier on the start line.

Co-founder of the Baton of Hope, Mike McCarthy, will be passing the Baton over to Hillier, an established TT rider who has 14 podiums and a lightweight race win to his name. He will be the first to receive the Baton ahead of its UK-wide tour of 12 towns and cities, starting in Glasgow on Sunday June 25 and culminating with a trip to Downing Street on Thursday July 6.

The first initiative of its kind, the Baton of Hope was formed to bring about positive changes in suicide awareness, support and prevention. The Isle of Man TT Races will be used as a platform for the charity to launch its campaign to tackle the stigma that surrounds mental ill health and save lives.

As well as the startline activation, the Baton will be on display throughout the day in the event’s Fan Park to raise awareness and get the visitors of the Isle of Man TT to engage with the charity’s vision of a zero suicide society.

James Hillier said: ‘I’m proud to be receiving the Baton of Hope. The Isle of Man TT Races has a significant male following and the work the Baton of Hope charity is doing to promote men’s mental health is incredibly important.’

Over the past fifteen years, suicide rates on the Isle of Man have increased substantially and a group of bereaved families approached the charity asking if the island could be included in the tour.

Mike McCarthy said: ‘The Isle of Man TT’s bid to host the Baton was warm and enthusiastic and once we had listened to the people behind it we knew immediately that we had to add the island to our route. We had already decided that we would visit 12 cities in 12 days but we have readily agreed to a special preview event to coincide with the TT races.

‘Our charity supports everyone but there is no escaping the fact that three-quarters of those who take their lives are men. We want to spread the message that it should not be considered manly to bottle-up emotions and people in general need to open up long before they reach crisis point and especially when suicidal thoughts emerge.’

Bereaved Survivors of Suicide Isle of Man added: ‘We are honoured to be able to Host the Baton of Hope at the 2023 Isle of Man TT. As a group of individuals who have lost loved ones to suicide on the Island, we are very much aware that the island statistics are in fact higher than those in the UK or Ireland. Although the government is making steps to address this situation with its forth coming Suicide Strategy, we believe that the Baton’s visit to the Island will encourage people to start talking about this silent
killer as part of their daily lives.’

The Baton has been made by Thomas Lyte, goldsmiths and silversmiths to the Royal household.