THE country’s largest suicide prevention awareness initiative will soon be calling in Tameside.
Local mental health charity The Anthony Seddon Fund has released the route that the ‘Baton of Hope’ will be taking on Friday, September 12.
The borough will represent Greater Manchester as one of 20 places the symbolic baton is visiting, to help raise awareness and challenge stigma around suicide.
Over 50 people will be walking throughout Tameside, stopping at several key landmarks and locations along the way.
It will start at The Anthony Seddon Fund’s centre on George Street in Ashton-under-Lyne at 8am, before making its way to Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust’s headquarters, Portland Basin Museum, the Tameside Cycle Circuit, Samuel Laycock High School and reaching Hartshead Pike at midday.
The baton will then call at Mossley Cross before stopping at Stamford Park on the Ashton-Stalybridge border at 1.30pm. From there, it will visit Stalybridge Fire Station and Stalybridge Celtic Football Club before finishing at Stalybridge Civic Hall at 4.30pm.
The baton bearers will be people who have all been impacted by suicide.
Across the tour route, there will be wellbeing and craft sessions throughout the day – as well as speakers, poetry and much more.
As the baton completes its tour at the Civic Hall in Armentieres Square, there will be live musical performances, wellbeing activities and craft activities for young people, and a period of silence to reflect for those who have been bereaved by suicide.
The mission of the third annual tour of the UK is to destigmatise speaking about mental health and wellbeing and, more importantly, reduce the numbers of people dying by suicide and inspire hope moving forwards.
The ‘Baton of Hope’ suicide prevention charity is founded by Mike McCarthy and Steve Phillip, who have both lost sons to suicide.
For more information about the ‘Baton of Hope’, visit https://tasfund.org.uk/baton-of-hope-tameside-12th-september-2025/