Today, the Baton of Hope arrived in North Lincolnshire—and it left a profound mark. I had the honour of carrying it as a Baton-bearer, and I did so for three deeply personal reasons.
🔹 First, to raise awareness of the devastatingly high rates of suicide within the Autistic community. Research shows that 66% of Autistic people have considered suicide, and we are disproportionately represented across the entire suicide continuum—from ideation and attempts to lives tragically lost.
🔹 Second, I carried the baton as an Autistic person who has walked that continuum more times than I ever wanted to. I’ve lived with managed suicidal thoughts since my teens, and I know firsthand how isolating and relentless that experience can be.
🔹 Third, I did this in remembrance of Alex Conley—a beloved member of my daughter’s family—who died by suicide in March 2024 at just 22 years old. Her loss is a heartbreaking reminder of why this work matters.
We urgently need to rebalance the narrative around suicide and hope. Too often, we hear stories of lives lost, but rarely do we hear about the lives saved—those moments when someone intervened, when hope triumphed. We collect and publicise suicide statistics, but we don’t track or celebrate the lives that were spared. That silence sends the wrong message. If we want people to believe that suicide is preventable, we must show them that it is.
The Baton of Hope is more than a symbol—it’s a call to action. It reminds us that hopelessness is not a final destination. There is so much we can do, starting with equipping the public—and professionals in health, social care, and education—with suicide intervention skills. Just as we train people in CPR, we must train people to respond to suicidal crisis. Suicide is a global public health issue, but it is not inevitable. Not in any community—including the Autistic community.
Today, North Lincolnshire welcomed the Baton of Hope and stood tall in its commitment to becoming a suicide-safer community. I was proud to be part of that moment. But our work is far from done. One life lost is one too many.
#ZeroSuicidesNoLess #ZeroSuicide #AutismAwareness #AutismAcceptance #AutismSupport