Candles lit for suicide victims

MORE than 70 candles were lit during a relay walk on the Tay Road Bridge to remember the lives of suicide victims.

The walk was organised by city-based mental health charity Walk and Blether in a bid to raise awareness of suicide and to work towards its prevention.

Group member Valerie Roberts said it was a great success with the £500 fundraising target reached.

Valerie said: “The weather was really kind to us.

“We only had a small group doing it because Covid-19 restrictions prevented us from holding the much bigger event we had planned.”

The group had hoped to be able to light a candle for each of 69 people who took their own lives in Dundee in 2020, up until November.

Valerie said: “We actually managed to light just over 70 candles to remember others we knew who had taken their own lives.

“I actually jogged two lengths of the bridge, which allowed me to manage more distance and meant I could light more candles than planned.

“We have already reached our £500 fundraising target which will go to the mental health charity MIND.

“We also hope what we have done is to raise awareness of suicide prevention and prevent more people taking their own lives.

“We hope we have also managed to get people speaking about suicide and to highlight that there are groups out there who can help when people are thinking about suicide.”

The initial plan had been to involve a large number of people, including the families of those who have died, and to cross the bridge 69 times to mark each of the lives lost.

But coronavirus restrictions have meant this was not possible and plans have had to be changed so the walk could continue.

Valerie added: “Suicide hasn’t stopped just because of Covid19 so we decided why should we stop.”

Donations can be made at justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ valerie-lindsay-2

Support charity Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, by emailing jo@samaritans.org or visiting samaritans.org/branches to find your nearest branch.