We’re here to say: Stay

We want everyone across the UK to know that someone wants them to stay.

We’re here to tell anyone and everyone who can’t see a way out: “Things can change”. To say to them “Just stay”.

Why are we doing this? Because every week in the UK 125 people take their own lives; 125 individuals who couldn’t see a way out.

But at CALM, we believe there is always hope, always a reason for living. That’s why we’ve launched Stay – to show you that things can change, no matter how you feel right now. That there’s always a way forward.

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From our helpline and the stories of our supporters we know that one word, one reason, one moment of closeness, can mean another day alive.

We also know these can be the hardest words to find or say. That’s why we want to get our message out across the country: on billboards and bus stops, on socials and on streets. We want everyone to stand with us, so together we can save more lives and help those who are left behind.

So we’re asking you to stand with us and say to everyone who needs to hear it: ‘Stay’. Over and over again.

However you want to say it, say it

If you think someone could be struggling, let them know you’re there.

Yeah, it might be awkward at first. But it could also be the most important conversation you ever have. So Facetime them. Whatsapp them. Have that pint you’ve been putting off. It doesn’t matter how you say it, just don’t let it go unsaid.

We want to show that no matter what is happening, no matter how you’re feeling, there is always someone who wants you to stay. Family, mates, colleagues, that person at the gym, CALM… there is ALWAYS someone.

But how can anyone know that if we don’t all speak up? It can feel difficult sometimes but what’s a little awkwardness when it can make all the difference?

So, send that message, ping them that Gif, put that pint in the diary. However you say it, just let them know you want them to stay.

at the end of the breakdown there's a breakthrough - Alika

THE POWER OF STAY

that decision to hang in there for one more day saved my life

Stay is about sharing stories of hope, stories that show the moment people decided to give tomorrow a chance. These stories aren’t about instant transformation – but real stories about a day-by-day process of rebuilding and slowly feeling like yourself again.

We know it isn’t easy – when you’ve reached your lowest point, it can be hard to see a way forward. But we also know that, with the right help, things can get better.

Stay is also about sharing stories of people who have lost someone close to them and what they wish they could say to the people who are no longer here. Because we want to show that, whatever you think, the people who love you never, ever feel like you’re a burden.

As Mike, who lost his son Ross says, “Nobody should feel that they don’t have that right to stay. If there’s another Ross out there thinking about leaving us I’d beg them to stay with us. We have to let them know that there is life beyond that dark, desperate place. There is always hope”