Our first episode of Life Matters is guest presented by academic, writer and broadcaster Professor Alice Roberts. 
Life Matters reporter Freddy Chick looks at a new suicide prevention app, designed by a group of schoolgirls in Brazil and aimed at their peers. The team heads behind the scenes at Hollyoaks to find out how the soap has been tackling a storyline around a middle-aged man taking his own life. We get the latest on the ZSA’s online training courses, and Jay Emme, a talented cellist from Birmingham, tells us her very personal story.
Finally, Life Matters producer Ashley Byrne chats to Craig, a barber from Bolton. Craig’s one stop shop is a place not only for men to come and get a haircut, but somewhere that they can open up to him about their most intimate feelings.
“I actually gave up talking to people. I would casually drop it into the conversation with friends: ‘I’m not feeling well, my head’s doing stupid things.’ And it was really hard because I had all these wonderful things and if I could start the conversation the other person just didn’t want to approach the subject.” Jay Emme
“I lost one of my customers to suicide and I thought, right we’re in a unique position here. And I started a petition saying I want all barbers and beauticians to have basic mental health training.” Craig Henderson (Craig’s Barbers, Bolton)
“Sometimes it’s hard for us to talk to our friends, we feel ashamed of ourselves, we don’t feel comfortable sharing our feelings with them – on an App we don’t know the other person and they don’t know us, so it’s easier to talk.” Anna Ferronato (Safe Tears)
Featured in this episode
Produced by MIM Productions - www.madeinmanchester.tv