Help is Close

Help is Close is a new campaign that aims to proactively and reactively direct people of all ages to any physical or mental health support they may need, and/or social activities to support good health and reduce isolation and loneliness, all of which can be found in the Lancaster District Directory.

Finances and debt, relationship breakdown, bereavement, addiction, or just the general pressures of life, can all contribute to deterioration in our physical and mental wellbeing. This initiative combats these stresses and offer people connection to all manner of local support services to help them get back on track.

A recent study looked at 90 instances of suicide across Lancashire during 2022 and found some startling data. Relationship breakdown seems to be a key factor among men, with divorced men being at greatest risk nationally and instances high among men in Lancashire regardless of marital status.

45% of the people whose case were included in the study had attempted to take their lives previously, and over 42% were taking medication for a mental health condition. 29% had misused alcohol and 18% had misused other substances. Almost a fifth of people were in debt, and 15% had experienced childhood trauma.

Not everyone will reach such an extreme, but suicide prevention is a big part of the initiative, hoping to show people that they need not struggle alone. Help isn’t always obvious, or even easy to find and when you have so much else to worry about it can seem impossible. But help is out there, and we can all need a little help sometimes.

In the coming weeks you will start to notice roadside digital ads, posters, postcards, and goodie bags popping up around Lancaster, Morecambe, Carnforth, and nearby areas. You might even spot our beer mats at your favourite local pub!

If you don’t need any help at the moment, remember that you might know someone who does – even if you don’t know that they do! So you can do your part by sharing any digital ads, reels and shorts that you may see or be tagged into on social media, with your colleagues, friends, family and on your social media platforms using the hashtag #helpisclose. Help us get the message out and make sure that those who might need it know that Help is Close.

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Community groups and support organisations who would like to promote the campaign among their clients and communities can download a press release and digital assets from the Lancashire & South Cumbria Integrated Care Board.