A ground-breaking suicide prevention charity working in organisations across the UK to reach men before they hit a crisis point has won National Lottery funding to train 200 more of its signature lifesaving ‘tough talkers’.
Tough To Talk, founded by Nottingham-based Steve Whittle, who himself tried to take his own life three times, will be using the funds to expand its innovative programme, which has already reached thousands of employees around the UK.
The charity’s distinctive ‘tough talkers’ are trained in a range of ways to create psychologically safer cultures in male-centric workspaces, with the aim of reaching men before they are in crisis.
Already operating in companies in construction, the police, education and infrastructure, the charity has trained hundreds of tough talkers to recognise behavioural changes indicating someone may be silently struggling, giving them tools to start earlier conversations which provide vital support before it is too late.
The charity has built a substantial community of trusted ‘tough talkers’ and provides them with ongoing support to help them continue their trail-blazing work.
The aim is not just to train people to reach out to men but also to help organisations develop cultures where men do not feel they must struggle in silence. The charity works in male-centric workplaces, organisations where men may be less likely to seek help early, and charities supporting vulnerable men.
Now, thanks to Lottery funding, Tough to Talk will be able to substantially expand the impact of its work, which has seen it reach 1600 employees in one single organisation, where it still provides weekly sessions, given a rating of 4.5 out of 5 by around 1,000 regular attendees.
Jacqueline Gear, CEO of the family support charity Walk the Walk, is a ‘tough talker’ having undergone the training along with her team.
She said the training had made a significant impact, with her own charity working with many people going through very difficult situations in their lives.
Jacqueline said:
“Some of the work we do at Walk the Walk is very high level. We work with families where there is a child on the edge of the care system, for example. Our work attracts people heading into crisis.
“The tough talker training we received from Steve was brilliant. It’s very straight-talking and no-nonsense. Steve has so much passion and he really cares about what he is doing.”
Jacqueline said that since receiving the training, she was able to put it into practice within weeks, on one occasion intervening in a suicide crisis situation by a busy road.
She said part of the tough talk training involved knowing the right things to say at the point of crisis, including managing the emotions and input of others in the area and knowing the right places to signpost a person needing immediate help.
Jacqueline said Lottery funding for more tough talkers was very welcome news as Tough to Talk is offering an entirely different type of intervention from other charities.
She said:
“We were very lucky at Walk the Walk that our charity had been funded to undertake the ‘tough talker’ training by a sponsor. This is definitely needed. It will reach many more people. It’s not just the training, but the nuggets of information provided alongside that are incredibly powerful. This Lottery funding and the work of Tough to Talk will save lives.”
Steve said:
“I’m delighted and very proud that Tough to Talk has been awarded Lottery funding to deliver our life-saving training to many more people.
“The whole ethos of the charity I founded is about reaching men before they hit crisis point. The statistics are stark. Men are three times as likely to take their own life as women.
“That’s why our work focuses on upstream prevention – something we believe should begin long before suicidal thoughts are disclosed. Many organisations talk about mental health, and many provide support. We believe one of the biggest challenges is that many men never reach that support before they hit crisis.
“Tough To Talk exists to help organisations recognise distress earlier and create cultures where trusted people reach in before crisis develops.
“We want to reach men well before they hit the point where they feel they can no longer go on. We believe there are signs there if you know how to look for them, changes in behaviour that are noticeable long before someone talks about suicidal thoughts. Helping people recognise those changes earlier is central to our approach.
“We are passionate about our mission to reduce male suicide by breaking the silence on the pain men carry before it becomes a crisis.
“We know men find it far harder to reach out for help than women do. That’s why our charity is designed to be much more proactive than others. I’m excited to see what more we can achieve with Lottery funding behind us to train more people.”
