Papyrus UK

Papyrus Prevention of Young Suicide, also known as Papyrus UK, is a British charity which aims to reduce the number of suicides among young people.[1] It was founded in 1997 by a group of parents whose children had taken their own lives.[2] It was founded as Parents' Association for the Prevention of Young Suicide, from which the name Papyrus is derived.[3]

In 2017, as part of a campaign "Save the class of 2018", Papyrus produced a guide for schools and colleges on suicide prevention.[4] In 2022, Universities UK worked with Papyrus to produce guidelines on suicided prevention for universities.[5]

To mark World Suicide Prevention Day in 2021, the animation studio Blue Zoo created an animation, Sinking Feeling, for Papyrus "about a young person’s desperate struggle with life", in place of their usual annual creation of a comedy short.[6]

The then Home Secretary Sajid Javid gave a speech in June 2022 at Papyrus's headquarters, after chairing a round-table discussion, in which he spoke of his brother's suicide and said he had "heard heart-breaking tales of love and loss but also inspirational stories of the work being done to divert people from this painful path, including, of course, the work of Papyrus here".[7] As of June 2024 they have raised over £1.4 million for Papyrus.[8]

  1. ^ "Papyrus Prevention of Young Suicide, registered charity no. 1070896". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
    "PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide, SC052556". www.oscr.org.uk. Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Who We Are". Papyrus UK: Suicide Prevention Charity. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Who we are" (PDF). Papyrus. 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  4. ^ Biggs-Davison, Harry (18 November 2017). "Losing a child to suicide is devastating. Schools can help prevent these tragedies". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  5. ^ ""Trusted contacts": new UUK guidance for suicide-safer universities". www.farrer.co.uk. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  6. ^ "Animation Shares Hope in World Suicide Prevention Day". UK Screen Alliance. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  7. ^ Javid, Sajid (24 June 2022). "Health and Social Care Secretary of State speech on suicide prevention". GOV.UK. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  8. ^ "MBE honours for the 3 Dads Walking". Papyrus UK | Suicide Prevention Charity. 15 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.