A man who survived a suicide attempt is organising an art installation featuring 4,300 lights – one for every man who has taken his own life in the UK in one year.
Joe Jones, from Liverpool, said he decided to organise the display at the Isla Gladstone Conservatory in Stanley Park in a bid to highlight the “invisible issue” of men’s mental health.
The 34-year-old father-of-two said he wanted more to be done to support those who are struggling.
“Each light represents a life lost to suicide in England in 2024 – that equates to 12 men every single day, one man every two hours,” he said.
Jones set up Your Light Matters UK in November after coming out of hospital.
His aim was to create something visual and visceral to highlight the lives lost in 2024. The installation is due to be launched on 13 March.
“It is a moment designed to stop people in their tracks and make an invisible crisis impossible to ignore,” he said.
#James Donaldson notes: Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes. Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use. Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.#http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle Find out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundation website www.yourgiftoflife.org Order your copy of James Donaldson’s latest book, #CelebratingYourGiftofLife: From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy
An installation was a better way to deliver his message than something written because “when you see it it hits you harder”, Jones said.
He wants people to be “emotionally attached” to The Field of 4,300 Lights, which will also feature a beam going up into the sky.
“When people walk into this field of light, they will not see statistics they will feel the weight of what those numbers represent,” he said.
Jones said he was grateful to have been approached by the owner of the Isla Gladstone, Gemma McGowan, with the offer of using the venue free of charge.
Other organisations and charities including Andy’s Man Club, a mental health support group for men, and Alfie’s Squad, which supports young people impacted by suicide, would also be at the launch event, he said.
Jones said he hoped the installation could move around the country and wanted more to be done to widely promote avenues of support for people struggling with their mental health, such as advertising on hoardings and on TV.
