World Suicide Prevention Day
by Alyssa Pearce | Amplify Stroud
October 2025
Sunflowers Suicide Support is a Gloucestershire based charity that aims to support the families of those who have lost loved ones, founded in 2018 by Abbie Warren after tragically losing her brother.
Abbie found that “there was very little support around for people who had been affected by suicide" making it very challenging to navigate various legal processes, she decided that no-one should go through that same journey by themselves, so Abbie set up Sunflowers Suicide Support.
It began as a support group but has now grown to into a service in which a wide range of support is offered to those who need it.
"[We] give bespoke one to one support for people who have been bereaved, and that can look like anything from support through inquest to support with probate and applying for life insurance, right through to that emotional one-to-one support where people have a safe space to be able to tell their story and explore those very complex emotions that come with suicide bereavement."
But how can people aid Sunflowers in supporting as many people as possible? Donations are obviously vital but there are other ways as Chloe explained.
"First and foremost, getting our name out there so that people know we are here if they need us, making sure that people know they're not alone, and then that we are here to walk with them. Also, volunteering, we're always looking for volunteers, and whether that's for events or to help us in the office, volunteering is always a massive help for us."
To get involved with volunteering at Sunflowers you can fill in the application form on their website, they will then figure out where you would fit in best, and will try to "break down as many barriers as possible to people not only accessing our support, but also those who want to support us as well."
There are also indirect ways of support the cause, for example the recent Sunflowers fest, hosted by Monkey Bar Events that aimed to raise £20,000.
Training
Sunflowers also provide several forms of training to 'empower individuals to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those who may be at risk of suicide' This includes Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), a two-day course educating people on how to keep someone safe for as long as possible and on what support is around for them long term.
They also offer a safe talk which is about recognising the signs that someone may be having suicidal thoughts, how to go about talking to them about it and who to contact in those situations for further support.
"Sunflowers grow towards the sun and leave the shadows behind them, and that's kind of what we want to create here at Sunflowers, a community where we help people find the light in their really darkest times. Sunflowers also grow as a community and hold each other up, and that's kind of how we see our Sunflowers families, holding each other up in those really dark moments."
Alyssa Pearce is the Deputy Editor for Amplify Stroud
Amplify Stroud is supported by Dialect rural writers collective. Dialect offers mentorship, encouragement and self-study courses as well as publishing.
You can find out more at https://www.dialect.org.uk/
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