‘The perfect message’: Hartlepool SOBS facilitator backs Mail Keep Talking campaign

Hartlepool SOBS (Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide) facilitator Tracy Smith has joined other organisations and volunteers in our town in backing Hartlepool Mail campaign Keep Talking.

The campaign aims to increase the awareness of support available to people currently struggling with their mental health and promote the work of people and groups across Hartlepool who are helping out within the community.

"Just the whole idea of Keep Talking is the perfect message for anybody that’s struggling,” said Tracy.

"It’s just to keep talking, to share and get support wherever you can, from whoever you can. I think it’s a great campaign.”

She added: "The more people reading and hearing that it is good to talk, the more likely they are to talk.

"It’s not a taboo anymore. You are allowed to share your feelings, you are allowed to open up, you are allowed to be sad. You are allowed to grieve, and to be sad and to cry.”

Hartlepool SOBS was launched in April of this year and has been supporting people in Hartlepool and further afield who have lost a loved one to suicide.

Sessions are free of charge and offer a safe space for bereaved people to share their experiences and support each other.

Facilitators Tracy, Jo Darby and Scott McCabe have all sadly lost a loved one to suicide.

Scott’s wife had sadly taken her own life while Jo had lost her son Matt to suicide.

Tracy also lost her son to suicide back in February 2020.

"Lovely” and “intelligent” Joshua, who was 25 at the time, had been battling with his mental health since he was a teenager.

Following his tragic death, Tracy, 50, wanted to help other people who were in a similar situation to hers.

She said: "Everything I’m doing is in memory of Josh. I wouldn’t be doing any of this at all if I hadn’t lost Josh. It’s just taken me on a completely different path with my life.”

Tracy has described how the experience made her realise there was not enough support in Hartlepool who people who were grieving the loss of a loved one to suicide.

She said: "I feel like I’m making a bit of a difference. I feel like I’m supporting people when they really need it and don’t know where to turn."

Speaking of Hartlepool SOBS, Tracy added: "We are growing steadily. We are now supporting six people from the town and further afield.

"We are providing a safe space where people can just talk and offload. Talk about things that may be worrying them, things that they haven’t had answers to and just sharing coping strategies, especially with birthdays, Christmases.

"Everybody’s really open and really willing to participate and talk. It’s going really, really well.”

Hartlepool SOBS sessions take place on the first Tuesday of every month from 6.30pm till 8pm in Hartlepool town centre.

Location details are available by contacting [email protected] or calling 07940 558517.

For more details on where you can access mental health support in Hartlepool, click here.