Rob's Story
Rob Brady, Canterbury, Kent
Elite Performance Coach at Iceberg Digital
Why did you apply to be a Baton Bearer?
Because I know what it feels like to lose someone you love to silence. I applied to carry the Baton of Hope in memory of Chris and for everyone who felt they couldn’t say what they were really going through. Chris was my best friend, the life and soul of the party, the friendly face that everyone knew - although looking back now, I always felt there was something not right and only if I had the awareness I had today our conversations would have been different… it would of started with how are you ‘really’ mate? So for those who keep saying I’m fine when they’re anything but. I’ve made it my mission to challenge that word and to remove it from the script we’ve been handed, to replace it with honesty and connection. I’ve spoken on stages about banning fine from society - not for drama but because the cost of pretending is too high. I believe the baton can spark conversations that save lives and I want to be part of that ripple, not in theory but in action.
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Who and what will you be thinking about when you carry the baton on 22 September?
Chris. Every step I take will be with him in mind. I’ll carry the baton for the conversations we never had and the ones I now have in his honour. I’ll be thinking about all the people I’ve spoken to over the years, at schools, in businesses, on podcasts who’ve told me they’re struggling but didn’t know where to turn. I’ll think of the charities doing the gritty, quiet, essential work in our communities. I’ll carry them all with me.
What is your biggest hope for the 2025 Baton of Hope Tour?
That it cracks the surface of silence in every corner of this country. Awareness matters but what we need now is change at the roots. I want the baton to reach not just policy makers but parents, coaches, teachers, teammates and managers. The ones who can create safer spaces and kinder cultures. I want it to reach the person who’s never told anyone how they really feel and give them the strength to take that first step. That’s what matters most to me. The first step. In everything. That small shift, that moment of bravery, can be the most powerful turning point in someone’s life. If this tour helps just one person to take it, then it’s done its job as they will become the beacon of hope for the next person.
When you lost hope, what inspired you to keep fighting?
Losing Chris shattered something in me. It wasn't just grief, it was this deep, aching guilt that I hadn’t seen it, hadn’t known how much he was hurting. His death pulled the rug out from under me and for a while, I didn’t know how to stand again. But, over time I realised I could either let that loss close me down or use it to open something up. I chose the latter. I knew I couldn’t bring him back but I could make sure fewer people felt as alone as he did.
There was no lightning bolt, just small, powerful choices. Putting one foot in front of the other and going for a run. Throwing myself into freezing water just to feel something again. Saying out loud ‘I’m not okay’ and learning that was a strength, not a weakness.
Then my partner Kel came into my life. She saw me, really saw me and chose to stand beside me. Then with my twins Ted and Erin arriving, everything shifted again. They didn’t just give me something to live for, they gave me a reason to fight louder, to love harder and to never stay silent again. In their eyes, I saw the future. A future where conversations about mental health aren’t hidden behind closed doors, where the word ‘fine’ doesn’t mask pain.
Chris’s absence will always be with me but so will his impact. It’s what drives me to be a better man, a better father and a voice for change. His loss gave me a mission and my family gave me the strength to carry it forward.
What advice would you give to someone who feels they are in a dark place and have lost hope?
Please don’t keep it to yourself. You do not have to walk through this alone. Tell someone. Even if it’s messy or doesn’t make sense. The moment you say, ‘I’m struggling’, is the moment the darkness starts to lose its grip and if you don’t know what to say, say anything. Say, ‘I don’t know what to do’, because that’s real. That’s human and that’s the beginning of getting support. There are people who want you to stay, even if you can’t feel it right now. Borrow their belief until yours returns. You are not broken. You are not beyond help. You are here, and that’s enough for today.
Do you think there is still a stigma around poor mental health, including suicide, that makes people reluctant to reach out?
Without a doubt. The stigma hasn’t disappeared, it’s just changed shape. For many, especially men, there’s still shame in admitting vulnerability. There’s still this pressure to perform strength, to keep things moving and to not be a burden. That’s why I speak out on social media, on podcasts, on stages, in schools and in businesses. I’ve sat on judging panels for the Kent Mental Wellbeing Awards. I’ve won awards for the work I’ve done but none of that matters more than the moment someone messages me after a talk to say: ‘Thank you, I finally opened up’. That’s the real impact. That’s how we start to dismantle the stigma - by showing up and speaking up.
How are you working to use your lived experience to help others?
My ideology is to help one person a day, whether that through my profession or person life. They’re the same to me. Through every talk, every run, every conversation. I’ve run marathons, ultras and 100km through the night, not for medals but to raise money for grassroots mental health charities such as Keep Talking Services and East Kent Mind, who are keeping people alive when no one else sees them. I share my story publicly because I know the power of hearing someone say ‘Me too.’ I’ve spoken in schools to reach young people before the world teaches them to hide. I’ve worked with charities to amplify their message as I believe in community-led action in meeting people where they are. In creating the kind of environments where it’s safe to be real. I want to be a beacon, a lighthouse in someone’s storm because I’ve been there and I know that one light can change everything.
Alex's Story
Alex richardson, herne bay
Founder and CEO, Keep Talking Services
Registered Mental Health Nurse​
Why did you apply to be a Baton Bearer?
I applied to be a Baton bearer for a variety of reasons, but the main theme was that I am passionate about all things mental health. From a 12-year career in acute and community mental health services, to qualifying as a mental health nurse, to setting up my own charity, I want to put everything that I am into helping others. My career has held some of the greatest, most amazing times of my entire life. But it has also birthed some of the toughest. With 16 people professionally lost to suicide and an additional 2 friends. I have seen firsthand the damage a suicide can bring to one's life.
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Who and what will you be thinking about when you carry the baton on 22 September?
I will be thinking about the fallen 16. But not only that. I will be thinking about the 100’s of clients I have within our charity that battle these thoughts on a daily basis. These people, though fallen, will be carried through the community and live on through me and my work. It is due to people such as this that I am everything I am today, and why I am committed to creating change across my local community and one day, the UK.
What is your biggest hope for the 2025 Baton of Hope Tour?
The Baton of Hope Tour inspires change. But it is all about lasting change. I do not want this to be alive for the tour and then diminish when it ends. I want this to raise a robust awareness that creates ripples through our community. Those ripples paving way to a new way, an enhanced awareness, but most importantly, I hope things like this will attack the stat and create a reduction in our current suicides.
When you lost hope, what inspired you to keep fighting?
I have worked with countless individuals who are experiencing a mental health crisis due to losing a loved one to suicide. I have worked with individuals who have buried their children. Being a father of 2 boys inspires me every day to keep fighting and also to keep talking. I can not and will not allow my children to grow up in a world filled with such pain. I will put everything that I can into this to do all I can to create that change. My eldest’s understanding of my work is that “daddy helps people with poorly heads smile.” That is why I walk out of that door with pride, and that is why I keep fighting.
What advice would you give to someone who feels they are in a dark place and have lost hope?
If you are in that dark place, if you feel you are in a hole with no way out, then please, reach out to someone. Ask them what size wellies they are. I assure you, when people closest to you find out where you are, some individuals will not hesitate and will jump straight in there with you. You are not alone. It may feel like it, but if you reach out, if you keep talking, you will gain allies that can help you fight this. We talk about support networks, but there are so many different types (Your partner, your family, your GP, your friends), each with their own set of uniqueness that they can bring something to your table. More minds are better than one. Reach out, acknowledge that you are falling, so that people can catch you. So that people can help you stand again.
Do you think there is still a stigma around poor mental health, including suicide, that makes people reluctant to reach out?
I do think there remains a stigma, but one of the things that concerns and upsets me is that there are many services out there that will not work with people with suicidal ideations. They will say items such as “too high risk” or “too complex,” and we sometimes forget that this person is a person and they are not defined by a diagnosis or thoughts. Sometimes I think we need to consider that, if we can work with this individual, if we can make this person feel less alone, we can potentially stop these ideations, and we can instill hope. While I am aware that safety is always a priority for good reasons, I just feel that we need to look at a person as a whole. Person-centred practice for the win every single time.
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How are you working to use your lived experience to help others?
I feel that because of my understanding. My own experience of personal loss allows me to be right there alongside someone as opposed to merely looking down in the hole with sympathy. Lived experience is well-researched as being effective in the provision of care, and although it is not everything, it matters.
Though I have seen pain regularly for my entire 12-year career in mental health, I am incredibly proud to be doing what I am doing. I am proud to Keep Talking.
NAT's Story
Nat Farley, Kent
​Involvement and Engagement Manager
Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust
Why did you apply to be a Baton Bearer?
I want to be a baton bearer because my journey has shown me the power of hope. Through my work with KMPT and my own lived experience, I’ve learned how vital it is to feel heard, to feel seen. Walking away from those who should have been my closest support was devastating, yet necessary. In the aftermath, I struggled—self-harm, substance use, and the search for a reason to keep going. But I made it through. Now, I want to show others that no matter how lost they feel, hope is always within reach. Passing the baton is more than a gesture—it’s a promise that together, we can build connections that keep hope alive.
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Who and what will you be thinking about when you carry the baton on 22 September?
On the 22nd of September, I will be thinking of my beautiful dad. He faced immense struggles with his mental health, and because of his rare neurodegenerative condition, Huntington's Disease, he was so often misunderstood. People took advantage of his vulnerability until he felt there was no way out. I will also be thinking of my Annie. Losing my daughter, Molly, shattered me, and in my grief, I retreated into the only escape I knew—drugs—when the support I desperately needed wasn’t there. But I then fell pregnant with Annie, my sunshine, she pulled me back. Without her, I simply wouldn’t be here.
What is your biggest hope for the 2025 Baton of Hope Tour?
My biggest hope for the 2025 Baton of Hope Tour is that people see it as more than awareness—it’s about real connection. For so long, I felt lost, trapped in my own shadow world, believing no one could understand my pain or the loneliness of trauma. Trust was shattered, and with it, my ability to love freely. But connection—however small—can change everything. A message, a call, a simple meme can remind someone they’re not alone. Passing this baton is a promise: if we take the time, we can help each other find light, hope, and joy again.
When you lost hope, what inspired you to keep fighting?
When I lost hope, it was my dad and my daughter, Annie, who kept me fighting. I watched my beautiful dad battle every day to stay here—he wanted to live, but that choice was stolen from him by people who refused to listen, refused to understand. And then there’s Annie, my whole world. She came into my life when I couldn’t see a reason to keep going, and she became that reason. She saw me—all my broken, self-loathing parts—and still loved me, because I am her mum and she needed me. She teaches me to try, to heal, to be better. The people who should have protected me didn’t fight for me. They hurt me and still do—but Annie reminds me that I am her mum, and that gives me hope to keep going.
What advice would you give to someone who feels they are in a dark place and have lost hope?
Giving advice is hard because every experience is unique. I could say, “talk to someone you trust,” but sometimes that’s not an option. I could say, “be grateful for what you have,” but that’s not always easy either. So I dance. Anywhere—the front room, the garden, even when I was once voted the worst dancer in a nightclub! That’s the beauty of dancing: it frees you. My dad, even when bed-bound, would tap his finger to the music. Because the truth is, I don’t have the perfect quote—borrowed words don’t always fit. But music? It forces us to feel, to confront ourselves. We can let the lyrics hold us back or shake our emotions free and rebuild. It’s hard to dance with the devil on your back—so, like Florence and the Machine, I shake it out.
Do you think there is still a stigma around poor mental health, including suicide, that makes people reluctant to reach out?
The stigma surrounding mental health and suicide is not new—it has been a barrier for generations. Unless we move beyond words and commit to consistent action, it will persist. Breaking it is complex, shaped by culture, finances, relationships, and communities. Many don’t know how to reach out, especially in underrepresented groups, where the belief exists that if your face doesn’t fit, support won’t come.
I’m committed to reducing these barriers and it’s at the heart of what I do in my job at KMPT with the Involvement and Engagement Team. Created by the Trust’s wonderful Director of Communications and Engagement, Kindra Hyttner, and led by the brilliant Holly Till, Head of Involvement and Engagement, the team reaches out to communities and builds trust with the aim of reflecting their needs in mental health support services.
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How are you working to use your lived experience to help others?
The first thing I remind people is that we all have lived experience—no one’s pain or journey is greater than another’s. What we’ve been through matters because it shapes us and our world. Two people can share the same life event but experience it in profoundly different ways. I’ve seen lived experience used poorly—either as tokenism or as the loudest voice overshadowing others. I use mine to show that every experience matters. We may never fully understand someone’s pain, but we can recognise it, be present, and create pathways where lived experience shapes mental health services equitably for all.
As KMPT Involvement and Engagement Manager, I work alongside Kindra, Holly and the rest of the team to ensure we truly collaborative with our communities.
We’re committed to amplifying voices, driving real change, and fostering an environment where everyone is seen, heard, and supported. Together, we are building a movement that makes connection and representation the foundation of everything we do.
David's Story
David hopkins, medway
Education Intervention Officer for Kent Fire and Rescue Service
Why did you apply to be a Baton Bearer?
I was inspired by Mike's story when I heard it at a Male Wellbeing event that I attended through work. I had struggled with mental health for over a decade and was having multiple suicidal thoughts every day. This included huge mood swings. Eventually my manager told me to get help as my son was young enough that he wouldn't notice my mood swings. She didn't want him to get to an age where he knew what was happening.
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Who and what will you be thinking about when you carry the baton on 22 September?
My son and how much he has saved me.
What is your biggest hope for the 2025 Baton of Hope Tour?
That it inspires people to seek help.
What advice would you give to someone who feels they are in a dark place and have lost hope?
Reach out and get help, there is so much available now and it is so important. The first step is the hardest, and you might feel uncomfortable doing it, but push through. When you gt the help, engage with it and work at it - there are no easy fixes, but the hard work is worth it.
How do you think can we change stigma from preventing people reaching out for help?
Talk about it more. Don't shy away from having the tough conversations. The more we talk about it, the less stigmatised it becomes.
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How are you working to use your lived experience to help others?
I try to be open about my mental health now. I hope that by me discussing it openly, it will encourage others to do the same.
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You said your line manager initially provided the suggestion for you to reach out for support - what advice would you give to others wanting to help people they are worried about?
Do it. Just do it. You might be worrying about nothing, but you might not and it's definitely not worth the risk!
MEGAN's Story
MEGAN HANNANT, medway
Team Manager, Gillingham Safe Haven (a mental health support service)
Why did you apply to be a Baton Bearer?
I have dedicated most of my life to spreading awareness of suicide and being a safe person to talk to when someone is struggling. I wanted to become a baton bearer not only to show our community my commitment to making a difference but as a symbol of my own journey with mental health and suicide.
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Who and what will you be thinking about when you carry the baton on 22 September?
I'll be thinking of someone who opened my eyes to mental health and suicide from my teenage years, my own journey in mental health, about one of our service users who moved away and sadly lost their life over the Christmas period in 2023, the amazing staff team we have at Gillingham Safe Haven and my partner, Luke who has been there for my darkest days and my successes. Thank you for always having hope in me and being my hope when I felt so lost.
What is your biggest hope for the 2025 Baton of Hope Tour?
My biggest outcome for all of this is not only to bring hope to our community who feel their struggles are not valid, but to raise awareness of the amazing resources Medway has to offer for anyone from social isolation to dancing with thoughts of suicide.
What advice would you give to someone who feels they are in a dark place and have lost hope?
Don't give up!! I know everything can feel dark but having someone to listen to you is like turning on a light. Then before you know it the dark place doesn't seem so dark anymore. The people you talk to don't have to be family or friends, they can be strangers who are here to listen. Hope is a shared experience and if you feel there's no hope left for you, please let other people give you some of theirs.
How do you think can we change stigma from preventing people reaching out for help?
I think the stigma around mental health is partly generational. The generation before me and their parents where always taught that mental health is only for those who need to be in a secure unit or hospital. This is changing with the younger generation and we are breaking the stigma of mental health and teaching people that mental health only becomes an "issue" or "problem" when it affects our daily lives to the point of not being able to cope. To help change the narrative of mental health we need people to be brave and share their experiences to show that mental health is not something to be ashamed of. Changing the stigma on mental health can be as small as asking someone how they really are, checking up on someone or noticing someone needs a little extra support.
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How are you working to use your lived experience to help others?
I use my life experience everyday in my working life. I'm very grateful to be in the position I am with Gillingham safe haven and I hope to inspire others that your mental health does not need to be a barrier for your career or life. I happily tell the service users my diagnosis and hopefully they can see me as a normal person trying my best to help the community, I can show them my strong values for justice and my willingness to fight their fight with them.
​Has being part of the Gillingham Safe Haven team made you feel more passionately about the baton of hope charity and the work it does:
From an early age I have always been passionate about mental health and it heartwarming to me that the staff team at Gillingham Safe haven feel the same way. I'm blessed to have such a supportive and innovative team around me and support the vision we have for Medway's mental health. They are my inspiration and keep me motivated to carry on the amazing work we all do. I think the ethos of Gillingham safe haven, mental health matters and sunlight development trust aligns perfectly with the Baton of Hope. I really hope this carries on in the years to come and more people feel brave enough to share their stories and beat the stigma of mental health.