Just 8 students running in aid of SToRMS charity to help prevent suicide.

Suicide is the biggest killer of men and women under 35 in the UK. “Suicides in Great Britain: 2016 Registrations” published by the Office for National Statistics revealed 5668 people took their own life in Great Britain in 2016. Of these 4,287 were men; men are three times more likely than women to take their own lives. Suicide deaths are preventable.

The silence around suicide means that this statistic goes largely unrecognised. There are many excellent charities providing support to young men with identified mental health problems and those able to seek help in times of crisis. Nonetheless, recent statistics have shown that “only half of all people who die by suicide have ever been in contact with specialist mental health services.” Crucially, many young men are not seen as at risk until it is too late. It is these men in particular who SToRMS aims to help.

SToRMS’ Mission is to reduce young male suicides by:

1) Facilitating widespread open discussions about suicide

2) Promoting mental well-being and emotional resilience from an early age

3) Challenging gender stereotypes that prevent men from accessing help,

4) Highlighting the relationship between alcohol and mental wellbeing.