The Baton of Hope, a UK-wide suicide prevention initiative and charity, will visit the TT races tomorrow.

The charity’s goal is to eradicate suicide, and regularly campaigns for education around suicide awareness, support, prevention, counselling and funding for the services.

As well as being a charity, the Baton of Hope is a physical item, which aims to be a symbol for those who are going through suicide bereavement or struggling with mental health.

Tomorrow, the co-founder of the charity, Mike McCarthy will pass the Baton of Hope to TT competitor James Hillier on the startline of the supersport race.

The charity is launching its campaign to tackle the stigma that surrounds mental ill health, and hopes that the TT will act as the perfect platform to do so.

As well as the event at the startline, the baton will be on display throughout the day in the event’s Fan Park to raise awareness on the matter.

James Hillier, who has 14 podiums and a Lightweight race win to his name, said: ‘I’m proud to be receiving the Baton of Hope.

‘The Isle of Man TT Races has a significant male following and the work the Baton of Hope charity is doing to promote men’s mental health is incredibly important.’

The Baton of Hope coming here was sparked by a group of bereaved families in the island who approached the charity asking if the Isle of Man could be included in the tour.

Mike McCarthy, co-founder of the Baton of Hope, said: ‘The Isle of Man TT’s bid to host the baton was warm and enthusiastic and once we had listened to the people behind it we knew immediately that we had to add the island to our route.

‘We had already decided that we would visit 12 cities in 12 days but we have readily agreed to a special preview event to coincide with the TT races.

‘Our charity supports everyone but there is no escaping the fact that three-quarters of those who take their lives are men.

‘We want to spread the message that it should not be considered manly to bottle-up emotions and people in general need to open up long before they reach crisis point and especially when suicidal thoughts emerge.’

Mike added that the Baton of Hope team was immensely grateful to the Bereaved Suicide Survivors of the Isle of Man and the TT organisers for embracing the initiative.

A spokesperson for the Bereaved Survivors of Suicide Isle of Man said: ‘We are honoured to be able to host the Baton of Hope at the 2023 Isle of Man TT.

‘As a group of individuals who have lost loved ones to suicide in the island, we are very much aware that the island statistics are in fact higher than those in the UK or Ireland.

‘Although the Isle of Man Government is making steps to address this situation with its forthcoming suicide strategy, we believe that the baton’s visit to the island will encourage people to start talking about this silent killer as part of their daily lives.’