Players from Boro and QPR will be wearing t-shirts on Saturday in support of a local mental health charity.
Chester-le-Street based mental health charity and suicide prevention charity If U Care Share is launching its annual 'Inside Out' campaign to back World Suicide Prevention Day in September.
And Premier League and EFL stars and players among the World Cup finalists England Lionesses will be showing their support next month by going ‘Inside Out'.
The 'Inside Out’ campaign encourages people to wear their clothes inside out for the day - a symbol to get their feelings out in the open and start conversations that will save lives.
Suicide remains one of the biggest killers of young men across the UK, with six people aged between 40 and 60 dying by suicide every week in the North East alone.
If U Care Share, a mental health and suicide prevention charity based in Chester-le-Street, has designed an ‘Inside Out’ t-shirt which is available to buy and will be worn by players from the Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two, WSL and numerous non-league teams throughout September.
This year’s campaign will be launched before the televised game live on Sky Sports between Sunderland and Southampton at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, September 2 before Boro and QPR show their support later in the day.
Inside Out Day is the following weekend, September 10, which is designated as World Suicide Prevention Day. As this is a weekend designated for international fixtures, the charity hopes clubs and supporters will extend their support across the whole month.
If U Care Share are Premier League, EFL and WSL charity partners and has provided mental health and suicide prevention workshops, and support, to clubs and academy players, and their families, throughout the country for more than a decade.
The workshops are catered for young players from the age of six, up to the older youth teams and first team. The majority of Gareth Southgate’s and Sarina Wiegman's England squads have taken part in an If U Care Share session - and taken one of the famous bright green stress balls home too!
If U Care Share held their first mental health workshop at Sunderland Football Club academy in 2011 and since then has provided practical and emotional support to those affected by suicide as well as individual support to those deemed to be directly at risk.
Last year the charity’s founder Matthew Smith completed an 11-day, 289-mile run from the charity’s offices in County Durham to Downing Street to deliver a letter on behalf of 10 prominent mental health groups across the UK to raise awareness on suicide prevention and call for its inclusion in the Government’s Levelling Up paper.
He also raised more than £30,000 for the charity which was established after Matthew’s brother Daniel O’Hare took his own life without warning to his family.
Matthew ran in a vest featuring the names of 183 people who have died by suicide, dedicated by families and friends, including Daniel, and Newcastle United and Wales legend Gary Speed.
World Suicide Prevention Day is held on September 10 and the If U Care Share Inside Out campaign is aimed at encouraging people from across the UK to go Inside Out and start conversations and save lives by asking people across the UK to simply wear an item of clothing inside out for the day.
Matthew said: “Since the inception of our Inside Out Campaign in 2015, we have reached communities across the country with this lifesaving message.
“This year we hope that this message can be carried even further by utilising the power of football.
“We are extremely grateful to receive support from clubs at all levels, from the Premier League to non-league and across the women’s game too, and we encourage anyone and everyone to turn an items, or items, of clothing inside out and be a part of this lifesaving movement.
“Feeling helpless, worthless or hopeless are common feelings associated with feeling suicidal and often those thoughts can be overwhelming and prevent you from feeling anything else.
“With pressures like the cost of living crisis impacting individuals and families, it is more important than ever to encourage people close to us to talk about their feelings and access the support that is available. As well as longer-term emotional support we have a 24/7 text service which is there for people who need to talk.”
If U Care Share was established in 2006 by the family of Daniel O’Hare from Lumley, near Chester-le-Street who took his own life unexpectedly at the age of 19 a year earlier.
Daniel had no previous history of mental health problems nor had he shown any outward signs of his intention. He was a normal young man, who was extremely popular and well-known in his local community and had a large amount of friends and a family who loved him dearly. He enjoyed football, spending time with friends and socialising.
He also had a job managing a family online retail business and to this day his family remain devastated by their loss and are still no nearer to understanding Daniel’s choice.
His younger brothers Matthew and Ben, along with cousin Sarah (then aged 10, five and 12) set up the foundation because they wanted to do something positive and prevent another family from suffering a similar experience, as well as creating a lasting memory to Daniel.
The family started selling wristbands at football clubs featuring the message 'if u care share' and raised over £50,000 for mental health charities.
In 2011, If U Care Share Foundation became a registered charity with three main aims: Prevention, intervention & support of those bereaved by suicide.
Since then the charity has provided support to those who have lost loved ones to suicide, as well as help and advice to those who are at risk of taking their own life.
And their team of advisers have been delivering workshops on mental health education and suicide prevention in schools, Premier League, English Football League and Women’s Super League clubs and businesses and community organisations across the UK to promote positive mental health.
The North East still has the highest rate of suicide among men under the age of 50. Six men every week take their own lives.
It is estimated that this has a direct impact on 182 people, including members of that person’s family, friends, work colleagues, responders and health professionals, etc. In total it means at least. People are affected by suicide in the region every week.