Suicide Prevention Conference 2026
Take action. Prevent suicide.
We’re bringing back our popular Suicide Prevention Conference in 2026 — a day dedicated to taking action to prevent suicide across our communities.
We all have a role to play in preventing deaths by suicide. Our conference explores practical actions and strategies we can take in our jobs, and in our everyday lives, to help save lives and to support those bereaved by suicide.
Bookings are now open, and we’re excited to offer an early bird discount for those who register by January 16, 2026. Be sure to secure your tickets soon to take advantage of this special offer.
“The most thought provoking, space holding, informative and important day that will stay with me for a very long time!”
What to expect
Featuring inspirational speakers and interactive workshops, the conference will give participants practical skills, knowledge, and resources to help create a Suicide Safer Cumbria. Open to everyone — from employers, schools, health and public services, to the third and faith sectors, sports clubs, and individuals. The majority of workshops are practical training sessions and certificates will be available on completion.
Theme: “Take action. Prevent suicide.”
Where: Rheged Centre, Redhills, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 0DQ
When: Thursday, April 23rd 2026, 8:30 -4:30
Included in your ticket:
- Keynote Speakers
- 3 Workshops or Certified Training Sessions
- Networking Time
- Lunch & Refreshments
Early Bird Offer: £85 Private Sector / £65 Charity, Community and Public Sectors. (£95/£75 from 17th January 2026)
All profits from the conference are invested back into suicide prevention and suicide bereavement activity in Cumbria.
Session options
You can choose from 4 sessions in each of our 3 timeslots throughout the day, which must be booked in advance of the conference. Booking early significantly increases your chances of securing your preferred sessions. You can find out more about your options below.
First session options
Led by: Guest TBC
Overview and Outcomes: This workshop will showcase good practice in community/third sector based mental health and suicide crisis services across Cumbria. The session will explore practitioners’ advice on how to effectively support people in suicide crisis, how to access services and support and what we can all do to get someone in suicide crisis to the help they need.
Led by: Sean Twomey – Sean is Team manager of the Emotional Health and Well-being Team at Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness Children’s Services.
Overview and Outcomes: A practical session exploring a trauma informed approach of how to contain and support a school community in the medium to long-term following a pupil suicide or other critical incident. You can expect to leave this session with an understanding of how to promote recovery and healing in the whole school community as well as signposting to key resources.
Led by: Guests TBC
Overview and Outcomes: This is a panel discussion-based session exploring the male experience of living with thoughts of suicide, stigma, and seeking help. Our panel will be made up of men who have lived with thoughts of suicide and you can expect to leave this session with a greater depth of understanding of how we can respond to and support men in suicide crisis.
Led by: Ian Alcock, Suicide prevention Trainer at Every Life Matters and Helen Storey MBE, Lived Experience Lead at Every Life Matters + Guests TBC
Overview and Outcomes: A practical session on supporting autistic people who have thoughts of suicide and responding safely to self-harm. The session will help you too recognise signs that an autistic person may be having thoughts of suicide and respond safely and clearly. Understand and use plain, predictable communication to reduce sensory/processing barriers. Understand autism-friendly approaches to self-harm self-help/self-management. And build support in your own setting and know where to signpost for further help.
Second session options
Led by: Andy Airey from Three Dads Walking and Sarah Cameron, Suicide Safer Schools Lead at Every Life Matters
Overview and Outcomes: A story of the campaign to get suicide prevention included in the national curriculum followed by exploration of practical issues involved in implementing suicide prevention lessons in a school setting and an insight into comparative programmes in the US and Australia. You can expect to leave this session with more understanding of what suicide prevention on the curriculum means to your school and the practical issues around teaching the subject.
Led by: Juliet Gray, Training Manager at Every Life Matters and Guest TBC
Overview and Outcomes: Employers have a crucial role to play in suicide prevention. This session explores organisational suicide prevention strategy and gives employers a framework for implementation of practical initiatives alongside existing staff wellbeing and mental health promotion. You can expect to leave this session with some practical tools to support implementation of suicide prevention strategy as an employer, along with examples of how other employers have taken these steps.
Led by: Paul Ward, Suicide Bereavement Service manager at Every Life Matters and Guests TBC
Overview and Outcomes: This session will boost your understanding of suicide bereavement and your confidence to support someone bereaved by suicide. You’ll deepen your understanding of grief, learn about the unique challenges of suicide bereavement, and the stigma surrounding it. The session looks at support strategies, including language use, and provides information on local and national resources for suicide bereavement support, as well as first-hand perspectives on suicide bereavement from people with lived experience.
Led by: Hannah Cleasby, Suicide Prevention Trainer at Every Life Matters
Overview and Outcomes: A workshop exploring practical knowledge and skills to help us make real-life, real-time suicide prevention interventions in our work, social, family and community life. Tin the workshop you will explore recognising invitations, or signs of risk. Asking directly about thoughts of suicide. Providing immediate containment. Getting people to the support they need. Stranger interventions. All focused on a suicide first aid approach.
Third session options
Led by: Lucia Slack, Mental Health Nurse, Nuffield Farming Scholarship Fellow and wife of First-generation Cumbrian dairy farmer
Overview and Outcomes: This session explores the findings of Lucia’s Nuffield Scholarship to learn suicide prevention initiatives from farming communities worldwide providing an invaluable opportunity to look at innovative approaches that could make a real difference. Lucia combines her worldwide research with her own insight from living in the local farming community.
Led by: Juliet Gray and Guests TBC
Overview and Outcomes: This session, aimed at carers and others in a personal or professional helping role, explores how we can support people living long-term with thoughts of suicide and suicidal ideation. The session will give you practical understanding of safety planning, moving through challenging life events and caring for yourself.
Led by: Vicki Boggon, Young Peoples Suicide Bereavement Practitioner at Every Life Matters + Guest TBC
Overview and Outcomes: This session explores the unique impact of suicide bereavement on toddlers and primary school aged children, explores the research base on the impact of losing a parent, children’s understanding of death, the reprocessing grief at emotional milestones, supporting the family structure, and what children tell us they need and want!
Led by: Chris Wood, CEO and Co-founder of Every Life Matters and Guests TBC
Overview and Outcomes: This session will take a deep dive into data and geographic, cultural and demographic circumstances that shed light on why Cumbria’s has such high suicide rates, and look at how we compare to other areas of the UK. The session will also explore the findings of “The Big Question”, a major piece of research on suicidality in Cumbria and its findings led by Liverpool John Moore University, Cumberland Council and Every Life Matters.
Suicide Prevention Conference 2025
Our 2025 conference saw 200 delegates come together to gain practical skills, knowledge and resources to help create a Suicide Safer Cumbria.
Don’t miss out – secure your spot today and join us in our mission to create a Suicide Safer Cumbria. Together, we can make a difference.
