Dave Thomas: One month to go until the Baton of Hope comes to the Bay

Planning for the Baton of Hope event is now really gearing up across the Bay.

There’s just over a month to go until the national baton relay reaches Torbay for its South West leg on Tuesday 30th September. Hopefully you have already heard about this event, if not, Baton of Hope Torbay, is a suicide prevention event aimed at promoting better mental health across Torquay, Paignton, Brixham and the wider Southwest.

The baton route will be going through Torquay, Paignton and Brixham and thousands are expected to attend during the day, cheering on family and friends chosen to carry the baton. Many of the Baton bearers are local people who have been impacted by suicide and I know they have been having regular meet ups so they can get to know each other, share their personal stories and provide mutual support as they prepare for the big day.

The aim of the Baton of Hope relay and the day’s events are to provide opportunities to remember and honour those who were lost through suicide and to promote mental health and resilience. One of the stats that hits home hard is that suicide is the biggest killer of young people aged 15 to 34.

As part of the exciting relay, the baton will also travel around the Bay on many different types of transport, including on the Dartmouth Steam Railway, motorbike convoy, supercar and RNLI Lifeboat.

Free wellbeing events, activities and spectator locations along the route will ensure that you can all cheer on the baton bearers while having positive mental health experiences. 

The day will begin bright and early with the opening ceremony at 7:45am Torquay, and at 8am the Rock Choir South Devon cheers on the first baton bearer as they start the relay from Princess Gardens.

There will be lots going on for all ages at the central Torquay and Brixham Hope Hubs, and on Paignton Green. There will also be a finale fundraising event – The BIG Show of Hope – at the Riviera International Centre in the evening. All profits will go towards the Torbay Suicide Prevention Legacy Grant Pot which will support local community and voluntary sector initiatives in the future.

There’s a great entertainment line-up taking place throughout the day as well. This includes X Factor singer Luke Friend, comedian Hal Cruttenden and variety artist Ada Campe all being booked to attend alongside prominent suicide prevention speakers. Tickets are selling fast to this, so I’d encourage you to get yours soon.

The organising team are still looking for volunteers to steward along the route and assist at wellbeing events. If you feel you can offer your time, please send an email to batonofhope@torbay.gov.uk.

If you have not taken a look already, I’d encourage you to visit the Torbay Baton of Hope webpage, which can be found at www.torbaybatonofhope.com. This is where you can see the full line up of activities on the day, view the baton relay route map and book tickets to the Big Show of Hope. Closer to the time, we’ll share any road closure information on there as well.

You can also sign the Torbay Baton of Hope pledge on the webpage too. By doing this, you’re making a promise to treat mental health with the same importance as physical health.

To hopefully inspire you even more, and to understand why some of our baton bearers have decided to take part, visit the Council’s YouTube channel and hear their amazing stories. One of these stories is from a local community interest company called Sound Communities which lets you know about their 300 second podcast where young people talk about suicide and the impact it has had on them.  

I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday 30th September when we are all out and about across the bay supporting those who have taken the brave step to take part in this event.