Baton of Hope comes to Hastings

The Baton of Hope tour is the UK’s­ largest ever suicide prevention initiative and was launched in 2023. The tour started this year in Blackpool on September 1 and will culminate in London on October 10. The Hastings stage of the tour got underway at 8am at Hastings Castle this morning.

Jacy Kilvert, the Baton of Hope Hastings project lead said: “We applied to be part of the national tour for the Baton of Hope last November. The national Baton of Hope tour is travelled across 20 locations, we were lucky enough to be one of those. We have 43 people carrying the baton of hope across Hastings today. And each and every one is carrying that for their own personal reasons, in memory of somebody that has lost a suicide, or in recognition of their own personal journey.

“The campaign is all about raising awareness and prevention, linking, signposting, and encouraging open and honest conversations and trying to tackle some of the stigma around having those conversations and about being able to say I do feel this bleak, I do feel this low and somebody being able to receive that and not being too frightened to carry that conversation on and

being able to support that person and know where to signpost them to.”

And ultimately it's all about hope. It's about hope that there is another way, that we are here and today we're saying that Hastings really cares and we want to say, you know, there is hope, there is love and we can all support each other.”

The Baton of Hope will be at Warrior Square Station in St Leonards at 2.10pm, the White Rock Theatre at 3.30p,, Hastings Town Hall at 4pm and at the Stade for the finale event from 6pm, with music, stories and speeches to send messages of hope.

The Wellbeing Hub, at Central Hall, Station Road, is open until 3.30pm with a community cafe and offering suicide information and support.

You can also join Baton of Hope on Facebook and if you are able, you can donate to help support the project at www.gofundme.com/f/the-baton-of-hope-hastings-tour-2025.