Southport residents  are being urged to give up just 20 minutes of their time to take free suicide prevention training and help save a life.

Across the UK around 6,000 people die by suicide each year and every one has a huge impact on the people impacted by it and the emotional and social effects are enormous.

Sefton Council is now urging businesses to roll out training developed by the Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA).

It coincides with World Suicide Prevention day (10 September) and comes from the Cheshire and Merseyside NO MORE Suicide Partnership Board (a collaboration of partners working to prevent suicide) and Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust – a member of the ZSA.

Cllr Ian Moncur, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “The NO MORE Suicide Partnership Board has a vision for Cheshire and Merseyside where suicide is eliminated and people are supported at a time of crisis.

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“We aim to be a Suicide Safer Community accredited region and the more people who take this training, the more support we will have in ensuring that our vision becomes a reality.”

Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “This is a life-saving initiative and we want to see as many people as possible complete this training over the next few months and come together on World Mental Health Day (10 October) to celebrate our success.

“The training is simple and effective and can be done anywhere, anytime, on any device, by simply logging on to the website.”

The ZSA, has developed a free, online suicide prevention course by using expertise from clinicians and those with personal experience to offer advice and provide real life scenarios to illustrate how best to approach a difficult conversation with someone who is struggling.

You can access the training here: www.zerosuicidealliance.com

World Suicide Prevention day marks the beginning of 30 Days of Sefton in Mind. The campaign aims to keep a conversation about mental health at the forefront in the 30 Days that fall between World Suicide Prevention Day and World Mental Health Day (October 10). Follow the hashtag #30DaysofSeftonInMind to get involved.