The Prince of Wales has arrived to open a men’s suicide prevention centre in Birmingham to mark mental health awareness week.
William will tour a new centre run by James’ Place, a charity which provides free therapy for men in suicidal crisis.
He will also meet both staff and men whose lives have been saved by the charity at its other locations.
James’ Place was founded in memory of James Wentworth-Stanley, a Newcastle University student, who took his own life in 2006 at age 21. This year marks 20 years since his death.
Since 2018, the charity’s three existing centres have saved over 5,100 men’s lives. The charity only supports men, who account for over 75 per cent of suicides in the UK.
The Birmingham venue is the fourth of the charity’s centres, following successful programmes in Liverpool, London and Newcastle.
Opening their London centre in 2022, William said at the time: ‘The one takeaway for me is the idea that there is a solution.
‘I think men sometimes get so lost in the detail, they forget the bigger picture and being able to have that bit of support that can move them forward and there is hope and a brighter future.’
Earlier this year, William also met Allan Brownrigg, director of clinical services at James’ Place, and former client Nathan, to discuss men’s mental health on an episode of BBC Radio 1’s Life Hacks.
During the conversation, William described his mental health ‘deteriorating’ while volunteering as an air ambulance pilot.
Prince William was all smiles as he arrived in Birmingham to open a new suicide prevention centre for men
The Prince of Wales wore a sky blue shirt and a claret tie in an apparent nod to his beloved Aston Villa as he met staff at James’ Place
James’ Place hopes to open a fifth centre by 2027, which will allow them to treat up to 2,000 men per year.
Currently men can self-refer or be referred by a healthcare professional to James’ Place. They typically receive six to eight face-to-face sessions with a trained therapist in a setting that is designed to feel calm, rather than clinical.
In October, James’ Place became one of five founding partners of the new National Suicide Prevention Network (NSPN), established by The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales.
Through the network, funding from The Royal Foundation is supporting James’ Place to pilot two new satellite services over 12 months in the North East and North West of England, expanding access to free, life-saving therapy in community-based settings.
During the visit, will also meet other fellow partners of the network, including Papyrus, MindOUT, and The National Suicide Prevention Alliance (NSPA) to share key learnings from across the network.
