The amount of people that know someone that's jumped off the bridge in my town...
It's just an unbearable number.
If you don't know I suppose it's just a bridge.
Most people who die by suicide
they don't want to end their life
they want the pain to end.
We heard a bottle smash off the side of the bridge
there was a man sat up on the ledge
everything just went silent
you couldn't even hear the river behind.
We tried to help him
by shouting up, "Stay on the bridge!"
But it wasn't successful
and he fell from the bridge.
Two days prior to the man I witnessed committing suicide
a man I know actually committed suicide himself off that bridge.
There was no note, no warning signs
just knew when the police knocked on the door
and that was sad that he could have still been here
and saved a lot of people's hearts at that definitely...
Because there's that many people have done it and have died
people see it as a quick and easy way out
and with what I witnessed
there was nothing quick about it.
I just don't think families should have to worry
about such a known place.
The bridge should just be used for the cars.
I set up the petition because
It was just an automatic thing
"Something needs to be done."
And no one else was doing it.
I wasn't really sure what to type to be honest...
I just, you know...
Some form of net could give that vital few seconds
to register, "What am I doing?" and "I don't want to do this".
People that haven't been there themselves
feeling that low
they wouldn't understand
but because I've been in that situation myself
I knew how they felt
and I think
if something like this was in place
my friend could still be here
and it hurts that it's not been done before that so...
I've been writing letters and emails to the council
for almost 30 years
to try and have some work done on the bridge
to prevent the suicides.
When I was at school
long time ago
when I was at school
it was the very first person I was aware of
he was in my year
I was about 16 at the time
and he went over the bridge.
Someone that you actually know
someone that's the same age as you.
I was about 19, 20 when I started writing
I'm now 52, that's shocking.
Every time someone's gone over, I've started again
emailing
nothing's happened.
I think there'd be an awful lot of families
who have been devastated by this
who would be so angry,
so angry that this should have been done
and that someone's actually been trying, and they've been ignored.
"They'll just go elsewhere."
"If somebody wants to do this, they'll do it."
There were a lot of comments very much like that
which is fair enough
I guess it won't help everybody but...
nothing can help everybody
but if it helps one
that's good enough for me...
There's no one single thing which will prevent suicide
but most people who are suicidal, never make that transition
from thinking about suicide, to attempting suicide
or dying by suicide.
So what we're trying to do when we think about suicide prevention
is, yes, understand the distress, but crucially also
interrupt these suicidal thoughts.
We think about 1/3 of all suicides in the UK, happen in public spaces
so in a moment of crisis, if we can keep the areas of concern safe
that puts an extra barrier
it makes it more likely we can intervene and help that person.
When the petition was started, there was a lot of negative comments around it
as in, "They'll go elsewhere..."
So if you look at the research evidence across the world
what we find is
where you identify an area of concern, and you keep it safe,
so if it's a bridge obviously adding barriers or nets,
there's evidence that leads to a reduction in the suicide
and for the most part people don't go somewhere else.
So in short, keeping areas of concern safe saves people's lives.
Oh... I don't know what to say...
It's great to see you doing this campaign, really trying to do your part
because we all have a role in suicide prevention
but it's really, really important that that's not the only thing
and we ensure that there are services and supports for the most vulnerable
which come alongside keeping areas of concern safe.
I worry that if you reach out to somebody and say, "Are you feeling this way?"
that it might put it into their head.
Is that something that could happen?
That's a really important question.
There's no evidence at all that asking the question plants the idea in their head.
So I would urge anybody watching this film
please, please ask them, "Are they suicidal?"
Be direct, be compassionate, because it could save their life.
When I made the petition it was a case of...
Everyone else was sitting, crying...
Knowing that something as easy as starting a petition online
could actually affect people's lives in a good way
yeah, it's nice.
If somebody's down from now on, I'll be saying "Are you OK?"
It's not hard to ask, is it?
A couple of words, takes a couple of seconds of your time,
could save somebody's life, it's worth it.
There's been sometimes I've been that low, that I'm not sure where I'd be right now
if he hadn't kept pestering me.
I don't know where I'd be so...
I'm likewise.
There's been times I've been close to doing something stupid
and you've spoke to me and helped.
When he says, "Are you OK?" And I'm like, "No."
I want to say, "This is the problem."
But I just can't bring myself to say it, if that makes sense...
You feel like you don't want to lumber me with your problems
Yeah well I say that all the time, don't I? I don't want to bother anyone
I just tell you to shut up
Exactly, basically how it goes...
I think that's what I need
"Shut up Georgie, just tell me, I know you're not OK, just tell me..."
I'm just too persistent and annoying...
Safety around the bridge is one thing
but there's a lot of young people around this area especially that...
they need something to help them.
In the bigger picture, life matters.