Two days that belong together

Two days this week sit at the heart of why this cause exists.

Tomorrow is Emergency Services Day. At 9am, two minutes of silence for the members of the emergency services killed in the course of their duties. A day to recognise what these jobs ask of people, and what some have given.

Thursday is World Suicide Prevention Day. This year’s theme is changing the narrative on suicide - moving it out of silence and shame, into something that can be spoken about openly, in time to help.

We are holding both this week, because they belong together. One honours the people who serve. The other faces a loss that is rarely counted among the costs of that service - people lost to suicide, not through a single incident, but through everything that builds in the silence afterwards.

The same people we thank on Wednesday are the people we are trying to reach on Thursday. Recognising what the job costs, and refusing to let part of that cost stay unspoken, are the same act of respect.